For years, access to the Cousins Island wharf in Yarmouth, the landing site for the Chebeague Transportation Company ferry, has been difficult, plagued by a steep, narrow road with poor visibility. The road can barely accommodate a shuttle bus and a few cars. In winter, the incline is often icy, making vehicle and passenger travel even more treacherous. In summer, it is a hazardous bottleneck.
Improvements to the landing began April 15. The project is expected to be finished by October 15; sooner if construction continues through the busy summer months.
The project is to cost $770,000. The Town of Chebeague is paying $154,000 for the improvements and the State, will contribute $616,000.
The improvements include widening the road to handle two lanes of traffic. That change involved blasting away part of a large stone ledge and building a retaining wall. As of mid-May, work on that part of the project is nearing completion.
In addition, a sidewalk is to be built to help pedestrian traffic to the wharf. The sidewalk will primarily serve year-round residents who park at the small Blanchard parking lot at the top of Wharf Road. Construction has also begun on a new turnaround built of leftover stone from the ledge. It will be located alongside the existing wharf.
The turnaround will allow the Chebeague Transportation Company (CTC) shuttle bus, which transports passengers from the company’s satellite parking lot on Route 1 in Cumbeland, to drive straight down the hill, instead of backing down the incline.
Other details include improved drainage to eliminate what winter commuters describe as the “hockey rink” on Wharf Road in the cold weather. Lighting will also improve nighttime safety.
Chebeague Island Selectman David Hill calls the long-delayed project “a great improvement of a dangerous situation.” Accidents have been reported in the area, related to the high foot and vehicle traffic, congestion and limited visibility.
Town Manager Scott Seaver agrees with this assessment, noting that the Maine Department of Transportation has declared Wharf Road and the Blanchard parking lot “an important and vital transportation link to the mainland.”
The Cousins Island wharf is not the only ferry access from Chebeague. Casco Bay Lines also provides daily service to Portland. But the CTC connection is the most convenient, especially for year-round residents.
Most commuters (including the island schoolchildren) use the CTC ferry on a regular basis. CTC provides nine daily trips to Cousins Island from Monday through Thursday and 10 trips on Fridays and Saturdays.
Chebeague residents haul groceries, supplies, baggage and equipment back and forth, making easy access to the wharf for loading critical.
The roadway improvement project has been under discussion for years, but has encountered a variety of delays.
Historically, the Cousins Island landing has been a point of contention (and the subject of lengthy legal wrangling) between adjacent property owners and the islanders. The most recent delay occurred last year when Yarmouth property owners (known as the “abutters”) claimed that a 1958 agreement between Cumberland County and the Town of Yarmouth had not been “perfected”.
“In other words, the abutters were not paid, and the work to widen the road was never done. Our claim was that work had been undertaken, but not completed,” Seaver says of the disagreement.
Negotiations on the project have been ongoing and Hill said relations between the Town of Yarmouth and Chebeague have improved, smoothing the way for the project. “When we met with the abutters for negotiations, we used the Yarmouth Town office. Our attorney was also the same as the Town of Yarmouth’s,” said Hill, a daily CTC commuter.
To avoid a long, costly court battle and further delays in the project, the Town of Chebeague reached a $10,000 settlement and the abutters relinquished any claim on the widened roadway, allowing the project to proceed.
At this point, the tourist season, which increases use of the wharf and landing, may interrupt construction.
According to Seaver, the contractor for the project, Greg Scott of CPM Constructors of Freeport, will reevaluate the project in mid-June to determine if it can continue through the busy summer months.
Currently, no vehicles aside from emergency and construction vehicles and the CTC bus are allowed to back down the hill for loading and unloading during working hours.
The high volume of passengers and luggage on big holidays like July 4th, Memorial Day and Labor Day can create traffic headaches even without backhoes and cement trucks. If the work does continue, contingency plans are being made to help reduce inconvenience.
“The summer crowds will be able to continue to get to the bus and walk up the hill during construction activities,” said Seaver.
He also expects that work will continue on the turnaround during the summer months and that work will be dependent on tides.
For the moment, construction crews stop when the CTC bus needs to make its way down the narrow road, squeezing past heavy equipment to unload passengers and cargo it has carried from the Route 1 satellite parking area. The town has provided small carts which help commuters at the Blanchard lot move cargo to and from the parking area to the wharf.
In David Hill’s eyes, it will all be worth it. “A total of maybe 12 weeks of inconvenience will pay off in years of increased safety, better traffic flow, less congestion and a generally more efficient operation. It’s a good bargain in the long run.”
For more details about operations during construction, go to www.chebeaguetrans.com
Anna Maine is a resident of Chebeague Island.