BANGOR DAILY NEWS • February 17, 2026
Moving “coastal resiliency” projects from planning to construction has been difficult for small communities in Hancock County that suffered damage from the 2024 storms. One major difficulty is the steep cost of projects like raising roads. Designing and permitting can run hundreds of thousands of dollars, with actual construction easily running ten times more. The towns interviewed for the article had limited funds available for roads in tight budgets. At the same time, federal priorities have moved away from climate change projects and construction costs have increased. “We don’t have a choice to not do these things,” he said of making sure the local roads are usable. “So, knowing that, it’s: ‘How do we do that?’” said Bill Zoellick, chair of Gouldsboro’s coastal resilience committee.