MAINE PUBLIC • March 15, 2023
The Maine Turnpike Authority was given the ability to construct a highway from the bottom of York County to the top of Aroostook County when it was created in 1941. The Legislature is now considering whether to finish the task. The 303-mile highway currently only goes as far as Houlton. Maine has studied several times before whether it is feasible to extend it to Fort Kent. Lawmakers from northern Maine are hoping to pass a new bill requiring the state to look at it again. But in a public hearing on the measure Wednesday, Department of Transportation Deputy Commissioner Nina Fisher warned that such a project would not qualify for the federal funding needed.