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For Immediate Release: October 19, 2009
Contact:
James Fisher, PhD, AICP
Hancock County Planning Commission
395 State Street
Ellsworth, ME 04605
(207) 667-7131 / (207) 667-2099 (fax)
jfisher@hcpcme.org
National Byway Information at www.byways.org
On Friday, October 16, 2009 the Federal Highway Administration added Route 3 in Trenton to the Acadia All American Road. Peter and Betsy Lazas, local business leaders and owners of the Blacksheep Trading Company (www.blacksheeptrading.com) in Trenton and Congressman Mike Michaud were presented with the long-sought designation at a ceremony held in Washington, DC.
The National Scenic Byway program was launched by Lady Bird Johnson in response to her concern for preserving the natural and cultural character of America’s highways and byways. The program has evolved from grass roots beautification to a national movement to celebrate great places. Designated byways generally fall into three categories: State, National and All American, the last being an elite set of roads that capture several unique, intrinsic values, such as scenery, recreation, history, geology and culture.
The Acadia All American Road was first designated in 2000 and included Route 3 from the southern tip of Trenton to Bar Harbor as well as the Acadia National Park loop road. That designation recognized the unique character of Acadia National park, Bar Harbor and a small part of Trenton that served as the gateway to Mount Desert Island. Trenton has played an important historical role in meeting year round and seasonal needs of Mount Desert Island. Construction of the bridge connecting Trenton to the island cemented the important role that this small town would play in provisioning the island and providing a vital connection for movement of people and freight.
This designation, extending the length of Trenton, also recognizes the important role this town will be playing for visitors to the region. Several years of planning and fundraising have come together in recent months to launch the Acadia Gateway Center, which will one day serve as a major destination for tourists to the region, offering information about Acadia National Park and surrounding communities, park-and-ride access to the Island Explorer Bus system and an operations center for Downeast Transportation, Inc. Construction of the Acadia Gateway Center is expected to begin in November, 2009. More information about the Acadia Gateway Center is available at www.acadiagatewaycenter.com.
Partners including the towns of Trenton and Bar Harbor, Acadia National Park, Friends of Acadia, the Hancock County Planning Commission and regional chambers of commerce make up the Acadia All American Road Corridor Management Committee. This committee meets regularly to organize activities to benefit residents and visitors alike. The guiding document for these activities is the Corridor Management plan, available online at www.acadiabyway.org. Anne Krieg, chair of the corridor committee and Bar Harbor Planning Director, recently traveled to the National Byways Conference in Denver, Colorado to present cutting edge work supported by the Acadia All American Road it the Island Astronomy Instititue (www.islandastro.org) to reduce light pollution and enhance the night sky. Other initiatives include scenic view preservation, visitor information and planning for road preservation and improvements.
The Corridor Management Committee looks forward to working with local and state elected leaders, local land trusts, business leaders and state agencies to preserve, enhance and promote this unique corridor. Persons interested in being involved in the Acadia All American Road should contact Anne Krieg, Chair of the Corridor Management Committee through the Bar Harbor Town Office, or Jim Fisher with the Hancock County Planning Commission (jfisher@hcpcme.org).
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