CARIBOU, Maine — Mayor David Martin announced on Tuesday, Nov. 20, that city councilors will hold a meeting on Monday, Nov. 26, to primarily discuss their options moving forward on the River Road, which runs along the Aroostook River and broke apart earlier this year due to soil saturation and runoff.
Councilors recently voted to reopen the damaged road following their Oct. 29 budget forum, and by Nov. 5, it was open to one-lane traffic. Each side of the short, one-lane section has signs indicating a 20 mile per hour speed limit, alerting drivers to the fact that only one lane is open, and warning motorists to travel at their own risk.
The city’s public works department filled in the sunken area of the road and placed barricades over these sections to prevent drivers from traveling over the damaged portion. Caribou Police Chief Michael Gahagan said his department will be closely monitoring this section of the road throughout the winter, and may choose to close it again if any further movement is assessed or additional dangers present themselves.
When the damage first occurred, the city officials sought funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help repair the roadway, however, their request was denied, leaving them to seek alternative options. They also hired local engineering firm DuBois and King to analyze the situation and present them with options moving forward.
Among four options brought to the city, councilors appear to be leaning toward two choices — to build a wall between the road and the adjacent Aroostook River while reconstructing the road where it formerly stood and to realign the road 30 feet east, or away from the river, while demolishing three affected homes in the area.
Engineers estimate that building the wall and reconstructing the road would cost $1.4 million while moving the road east and demolishing three properties would cost roughly $1.2 million. The latter is the cheapest of all four options, and all options are considered to be safe by the engineers.
Option three would be to construct a new road over an existing rail bed east of the current road, and to reroute the safe portions of the existing road to the new road. This option has the least impact on existing properties, but the estimated price is $2.6 million.
Option four is to drop the road down ten feet, which would require rebuilding sewer lines and acquiring at least three properties on the road. This alternative comes with an estimated $1.35 million price tag.
In order to move the process forward quickly, councilors will need to set aside money in next year’s budget, which needs to be completed by the end of 2018, in order for repairs to occur.
Councilors will meet at 6 p.m. in council chambers on Monday, Nov. 26.
