BY CRAIG CROSBY

Staff Writer

The Kennebec Valley Council of Governments has planned a series of meetings over the coming days that will go a long way toward determining the future of transportation along the U.S. Route 202 corridor.

The meetings, the first of which is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Manchester Fire Station, are being held to gather information on everything from current safety problems to the potential for strip development and sprawl along the Augusta southwest corridor, which runs from Augusta to Lewiston.

Information from the meetings will help the Maine Department of Transportation, which has contracted regional councils to hold the informational meetings on major corridors around the state, develop strategies for meeting future transportation needs and increase efficiency, said Chris Huck, planning director for KVCOG.

"What they're trying to do is get out in front of the curve," he said. "The best way to do that is by planning. The best way to plan is to get as close as possible to the people actually being affected by it."

Huck will offer a presentation explaining the program and provide an opportunity for questions and answers. Comprehensive plans, prior state plans and other information will be provided, with opportunities for those who attend to offer their insights and opinions.

"The challenge of this process is to get people thinking about the relationship between growth and transportation demand," Huck said. "Questions about existing and future development in town will be designed to shed light on these connections."

The session is not an opportunity for residents to air complaints about the current state of area roads.

"Questions about the transportation system will focus on emerging problem areas and creative solutions," Huck said.

The meetings will look at all existing sources of transportation, from auto and rail to bicycle traffic, said Duane Scott, director of statewide transportation planning with the Maine DOT.

This is the second round of public meetings the DOT has held on the Route 202 corridor. There are several corridors across the state -- KVCOG will eventually look at five other Central Maine corridors, including Interstate 95, Route 201 from Fairfield to Canada, the East/West Corridor, which includes Route 2 and a portion of I-95, the Augusta to the mid-coast corridors along Routes 3 and 17 and Route 27 from Augusta to Farmington -- all of which are a cornerstone to DOT planning, Scott said.

"The corridor concept is broad. It's more than just an immediate highway," he said. "It's a corridor between two points, in this case from Augusta to the Lewiston/Auburn area, and all the opportunities for transportation.

"It's really a transportation visioning process."

Craig Crosby--623-3811 Ext. 433

ccrosby@centralmaine.com