By Ilva Letoja and Apoorv Gehlot   Winter 2006

An Overview:
This project analyzes the location and potential environmental impacts of the proposed East-West Maine highway from New Brunswick to New Hampshire in congruence with Ian McHarg's theories on highway location as presented in his book Design with Nature. The proposal for the highway has been around for some time and recently there has been a greater push for its approval. The highway's proponents claim that a new highway could create new jobs and would help the areas it would pass through economically by making them less isolated. However, there has been increased criticism and this criticism comes from different directions; most concerns center on the destruction of natural resources. Critics also question the actual need for another highway. This project may help shed light on potential environmental impacts by analyzing various environmental factors like surficial geology, hydrology and population density.

Map Summary 1:
This map depicts various environmental conditions surrounding the proposed highway which include hydrological, population density, surficial geology, and slope data. Data for this map was collected from the State of Maine GIS website.

Double-Click Image to Open PDF map.  (pdf - 709k)

Map Summary 2:
This map depicts the hydrological conditions surrounding the proposed highway. Data for this map was collected from the State of Maine GIS website.

Double-Click Image to Open PDF map. (pdf - 677k)

Map Summary 3:
This map shows the environmental suitability of the proposed highway based on hydrology, population density, surficial geology, and slope. Data for this map was collected from the State of Maine GIS website.

Double-Click Image to Open PDF map. (pdf - 398k)

GIS Lab Contact:
Gordon Longsworth, glongsworth@coa.edu, 207-288-2944, extension 277