Penobscot residents to face 21-mile detour during Mill Creek construction
Most agree at meeting that disruptions will be be worth it in long run. ‘This is a 30-day window for the next 60 to 70 years,’ says one resident.
Penobscot residents listen to a presentation by town officials on expected travel disruptions for this winter’s construction project at Mill Creek, which will effectively cut off one side of town from the other. Photo courtesy of James Clarke.
By John Boit
PENOBSCOT—Fifty residents of Penobscot turned out for a Dec. 13 public hearing to learn about plans and disruptions that will cut off one side of town from the other when a new culvert is built at Mill Creek this winter.
The project is expected to close part of Bayview Road for up to 30 days, a vital artery for the town and for traffic between Castine and Blue Hill.
Bob Blunt, an engineer with the Augusta-based firm VHB, started the meeting with photos of the road at Mill Creek when it flooded and was impassable during the major storms in January of 2024.
“This pretty much says it all in my mind,” Blunt said. “When you need an emergency route, it’s flooding.” He noted that even normal high tides around the marshy area can fluctuate as much as three feet without any storm surge or heavy rains.
Details of how the town plans to handle the logistics of such a project–including emergency services such as fire trucks and ambulances, snow plowing, road sanding, postal delivery and school transportation–are still being worked out, local officials said.
Under the plan, the road would be closed for about 30 days beginning in March, forcing drivers to take a detour of 21 miles through Orland that will add 30 minutes to get from one side of Penobscot to the other. People traveling from Castine to Blue Hill and back would also be affected by the long detour.
Citing safety concerns, Penobscot resident Luke Hutchins questioned the state’s logic in forcing the town to complete the project over the winter. Photo by John Boit.
Children attending school in Penobscot or at George Stevens Academy in Blue Hill will also face busing disruptions. The town is considering having children dropped off each morning on one side of the creek and having them walk across a wooden footbridge about 300 feet upstream to board buses.
“Why don’t we just do it in August when there are no school buses?” asked resident Luke Hutchins.
The answer to that question lies in state environmental regulations, town officials said. Because the road passes over a marsh, the state only allows such projects to take place between Nov. 15 and April 15 when marsh grass is dormant and wildlife such as alewives have yet to use Mill Creek for their annual migration to spawn upstream in Pierce’s Pond.
The annual fish migrations attract dozens of Bald eagles who feast on the river herring, which in turn draw carloads of onlookers who park along the narrow and winding road, causing a potentially dangerous situation for pedestrians.
“This is a major inconvenience. We all know it,” select board chair Harold Hatch said of the project. “But if, when this project is done, we can save one person–just one person–from getting hit by a car, this 30 day shutdown is worth it.” Once completed, the new road will have a short sidewalk area for safely viewing wildlife.
Hutchins also raised questions about emergency services.
“Everybody burns wood in March. When are your house fires? December through April. I’m half a mile past that brook. If my house catches on fire, it’s gone,” Hutchins said.
Town officials said they have been working with the fire department for several months in preparation of the project, which will include coordinating with neighboring towns on mutual aid response.
Hatch asked residents who want to serve on ad-hoc groups to help create plans for the logistics of the disruption to email the town at penobscottownoffice@gmail.com or call 207-326-4364.
“I think if we break off into groups, this can be done fairly quickly,” Hatch said of finalizing the logistics of the operation.
Harold Hatch, chair of Penobscot’s planning board, explains the project at Mill Creek to residents. At left is Bob Blunt of the Augusta-based engineering firm VHB. Photo by John Boit.
Three companies have submitted bids for the project, Hatch said. The town has not yet chosen the winning bid.
The town is offering a $10,000 bonus to the contractor for completing the project within the 30-day window. Resident Jamie MacNair asked town officials to consider a $25,000 penalty for any delays. Town officials noted the suggestion but took no definitive action as the meeting was a public hearing and not a select board meeting.
Several residents urged people to consider the long-term benefit of the project.
“This is a 30-day window for the next 60 to 70 years,” said resident Tyler Snow.
The entire project is paid for through a bevy of grants totaling $4.6 million, and which includes several other components, including the relocation of the Penobscot’s salt shed from an area adjacent to Mill Creek to town-owned land several miles away on the Western County Road.
While the Mill Creek culvert is prone to flooding, it is not the only area in town that needs to be rebuilt to ensure safe passage during storms, one participant noted.
“Get used to it because we’ve got four more culverts that are right behind it,” said resident Tom Allen. “It is what it is. There’s a lot of deferred maintenance on all these roads and we’re coming to the point where we’re paying the piper.”
Town officials expect to begin working in earnest this week on the logistics of the project.
The meeting ended with applause following a comment from resident Richard Washburn who urged people to get involved in the planning process.
“It's a big project, especially for a town of our size, and it's got an awful lot of moving parts,” Washburn said. “And I just want to thank the select board and the people who are involved in it, and the people who will be involved in it, for their effort. Most anything that's worth doing requires some effort…and we need to be involved in working to make our town safe and better.”
