DOVER-FOXCROFT (AP) — One of the top supporters of a proposed east-west highway that would connect two Canadian provinces through Maine told a skeptical crowd the project would provide an economic boost for communities along its route and no land would be taken by eminent domain.
Peter Vigue, chairman and CEO of construction company Cianbro Corp., told about 700 people at a public meeting Thursday night at Foxcroft Academy that the 220-mile toll road would revive struggling communities in rural Maine. Another 150 people opposed to the project demonstrated outside.
Many members of the crowd were openly hostile, often interrupting Vigue and questioning the economic impact of the highway. Some wondered about the environmental costs.
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