Border crossing forum

    The Maine Department of Transportation (Maine DOT), in cooperation with the New Brunswick Department of Transportation (NB DOT), and the General Services Administration (GSA), is hosting an open house and informational forum at the Madawaska Middle/High School Cafeteria on Thursday, Aug. 13 to provide information about a border crossing feasibility study and gather feedback from residents, businesses, and local officials.
    The forum will feature maps, display boards and refreshments and will begin at 6 p.m. Officials from Maine DOT, as well as other agency officials will be available to answer questions. A presentation outlining the feasibility study will begin at 6:30 p.m. followed by a question and answer session.  
    This forum is the result of a recent bill passed by the Maine Legislature that asked Maine DOT and its partners to conduct a feasibility study to evaluate the need for a new commercial border crossing in the upper Saint John Valley. The study will examine how the planned improvements at the Madawaska and Van Buren border crossings will affect the flow of commercial traffic between Maine and New Brunswick and whether sufficient need exists for a new commercial border crossing.
    Maine DOT in conjunction with NB DOT and GSA selected RKG Associates, Inc as the consultant team for the feasibility study. RKG Associates is firm that specializes in real-estate, land use, and economic development. The team includes experts from the U.S. and Canada in the fields of real estate market research, economic analysis, economic development, land use and transportation planning, and traffic modeling.
    Additional public meetings will be scheduled in Van Buren and the Edmundston, N.B. area.
    For more information, contact Nathan Howard, policy development specialist, Maine DOT,  Office of Highway and Bridge Planning, Child Street, 16 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333-0016, or bne at (207) 624-3300.