Latest news with #MaineDepartmentofTransportation
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Suicide prevention signage installed on Piscataqua River Bridge
May 17—Following a string of suicides over the Piscataqua River, officials this week installed new signage on bridges aimed at reducing such attempts, but some locals and mental health advocates say more needs to be done. In less than two weeks, from late April to early May, three people died by suicide after jumping into the river. Two jumped from the Piscataqua River Bridge that carries Interstate 95 between New Hampshire and Maine, and another from the smaller Sarah Mildred Long Bridge, according to state and local law enforcement. Kelly Hartnett, vice president of community relations at Portsmouth-based Seacoast Mental Health Center, said seeing so many deaths in such a narrow window of time is "definitely unusual" compared to trends over the last decade. "I have not experienced this type of event in that frequency," in about six years on the job, Hartnett said. On Thursday, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation installed six signs on the larger bridge — three each on the northbound and southbound sides — Hartnett said. She said the agency, which assists with some crisis calls on and around the bridges, had already been working with the Portsmouth Police Department to install signage and other preventative measures. "We had been working on that initiative prior to the unfortunate events. That kind of accelerated the efforts," she said. The signs bear a relatively simple message: "There is hope. YOU MATTER. Text. Call. Chat. 988." That number rings the national suicide and crisis lifeline, which connects individuals with a live counselor and local resources. "It's a step forward, but we are looking now to add nets or some kind of barriers. That's the evidence-based model, having both (signs and barriers)," Hartnett said. When an individual plans to die by suicide, they often do so hastily or impulsively, so a clear and quick message helps get through to those in crisis, Hartnett said. When more time is created between someone planning and acting, crisis teams have a better chance of intervening. In that sense, even physical barriers that appear scalable require additional effort and help create a buffer in time, she said. Multiple studies have shown that safety barriers are extremely effective at reducing the suicide rate on a particular structure and, in some cases, the overall suicide rate within a community. This latest string of suicides came as crews began installing safety fencing on the Penobscot Narrows Bridge in Augusta. That project is expected to cost about $1.35 million and is slated for completion in July, according to Maine Department of Transportation spokesperson Damian Veilleux. The fencing was mandated by the Maine Legislature in 2023 after a number of similar bills had failed to pass. The project was delayed slightly by testing to determine the fences' potential impact on the bridge's overall wind resistance. CALLS FOR MORE More than 1,600 local residents have signed an online petition calling for safety nets to be installed on the Piscataqua River Bridge. "In Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the threat of suicide is painfully real. The Piscataqua River Bridge offers a tempting means for individuals considering suicide," organizers wrote in the petition. That petition was created on May 12, shortly after a minor — later revealed to be a Sanford High School student — jumped to his death. Police pulled his body from the water around 6 a.m. that morning, about nine hours after his empty car was found on the bridge. Friends, family and classmates gathered on Wells Beach Wednesday for a vigil honoring Jonathan "Jony" Hunter, a 16-year-old football player, Seacoastonline reported. There, his loved ones said there had been few to no warning signs that the teenager, known for his big heart, had been struggling. Hunter's death came less than two weeks after an earlier pair of suicides that took place April 30. New Hampshire State Police responded to a call of a stopped car in the Piscataqua River Bridge's northbound breakdown lane and determined that an unidentified man had jumped to his death, the department said in a written release. A few hours later, police in Portsmouth got a report of a missing person. The next morning, officers learned that a person matching that description had jumped from the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge, the local department said. Tyler Dumont, spokesperson for the New Hampshire Department of Safety, said the state police are "working closely" with partner groups to create additional suicide prevention methods, and he urged anyone struggling with thoughts of self-harm to call the crisis lifeline at 988. "The Department remains committed to doing all we can to reduce suicide risks and promote safety for everyone in our state," Dumont said in a written statement. ------ IF YOU NEED HELP IF YOU or someone you know is in immediate danger, dial 911. FOR ASSISTANCE during a mental health crisis, call or text 888-568-1112. To call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, call 988 or chat online at FOR MORE SUPPORT, call the NAMI Maine Help Line at 800-464-5767 or email helpline@ OTHER Maine resources for mental health, substance use disorder and other issues can be found by calling 211. Copy the Story Link We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion. You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs. Show less
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
With contract inked, Brunswick-Rockland rail operator preparing for trains
Apr. 30—After being selected to take over maintenance and operations of the Rockland Branch Railroad early this year, Maine Switching Services is readying the rails as it prepares to begin hauling freight in the coming weeks. The Unity-based company formally signed a contract with the Maine Department of Transportation Monday, but there are several steps that need to be completed before engines can return to the line, said spokesperson Finn Kelly. "The railroad is more than running trains, so we are starting operations," Kelly said. That includes reactivating railroad crossing signals that have been down for months and sending the first engine to the region, Kelly said. The company had been waiting to sign the contract before moving equipment, he added. He said trains should be riding the rails by the end of May, with Maine Switching operating under the title of the Cumberland and Knox Railroad, but it's too early to say precisely when the first shipment will take place or how frequently trains will run. The line had been without an operator since Midcoast Railservice announced in summer 2024 that it would terminate its lease on the roughly 56-mile stretch. The state released a request for proposals to take over service in September, and Maine Switching was selected from five proposals, the department said at the time. Though the current contract only includes freight service, the new operator is interested in expanding to passenger service, the company said in a written statement. Several companies have already expressed a desire to ship products and materials on the freight line, including Thomaston-based Dragon Cement Products, which will be the largest customer at launch, Kelly said. "That is the big company that has committed to it," Kelly said. "We are working with all of the former customers who were shipping by rail in addition to some new companies that have reached out to us." Maine Switching is "dedicated to supporting industrial and economic growth along the Rockland corridor," Joe Feero, the company's president, said in a written statement. Kelly said that being able to support local businesses will be a key indicator of the railroad's own success. "We are providing a service for them, and if those businesses are successful, then so are we," Kelly said. Copy the Story Link We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion. You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs. Show less
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Maine bill would protect personal belongings during homeless encampment sweeps
Apr. 28—When Katie Spencer White and her husband came across an older woman panhandling outside Trader Joe's in Portland, they gave her some cash in hopes she would use it to get a hotel room and get out of the cold that night. But the woman said she was going to use the money to pay for her storage unit. "That was where all her personal belongings were — her baby's hat that he wore home from the hospital 50 years ago, all of her photographs, the things that mattered to her that she knew she was going to need when she finally got back into housing," Spencer White said. "Folks would rather save their mementos than eat that day. That's how important their belongings are to them." Spencer White, president and CEO of the Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter & Services in Waterville, joined other advocates for homeless people to testify at a legislative hearing Monday in support of a bill to ensure the belongings of homeless people are not confiscated or destroyed without notice. Supporters said that keeping track of personal belongings is one of the most difficult but often overlooked aspects of being homeless, and that many people have lost valuable possessions during encampment sweeps around the state. Opponents of the bill, including the Maine Department of Transportation and Maine State Police, said the proposal would be logistically challenging and that storing and tracking personal belongings would be burdensome for municipalities. Ambureen Rana, D-Bangor, the sponsor of LD 1410, said the bill provides "basic due process" for the homeless. It would require municipal, county or state agencies or law enforcement to provide at least seven days advance notice before removing a homeless person's belongings from public property, or destroying the property. It also would require them to hold a hearing prior to the planned removal or destruction. If a homeless person doesn't attend the hearing, the bill would also require the municipality or police department to store their property for at least 90 days and provide them with notice about how to retrieve it. There would be exceptions for things that are reasonably believed to be abandoned, or that pose health and safety risks. "To lose your stable housing, have to find shelter elsewhere, lose that shelter and all of your belongings is, as I imagine it, one of the most dehumanizing situations one can experience," Rana said. "This bill is critical to protect the civil rights of unhoused people, and it is a critical step in addressing our state's unhoused crisis." She said homeless people are at greater risk for losing important medications and personal documents, as well as equipment that helps them survive, like tents and sleeping bags, and often don't have the financial means to replace those items. The bill is also about providing the same kinds of basic protections for the property of homeless people that those who are housed enjoy, Spencer White said. "You can do a lot to homeless people because they don't have lawyers, they don't have money for court fees and they are often too overwhelmed with staying alive to worry about protecting their constitutional rights," she said. Encampment sweeps have been well-documented around Maine, especially in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which contributed to elevated levels of homelessness. In Portland in 2023, some homeless residents said their belongings were discarded or lost during a large sweep at the Fore River Parkway Trail, despite a city policy requiring advance notice and storage of any unclaimed items that could have value. Anna Trevorrow, a former Portland city councilor, said she became aware of the challenges of tracking people's personal belongings during encampment sweeps while she served on the council, and said a statewide law could provide clarity on the issue. "LD 1410 addresses these concerns by establishing transparent procedures that protect the rights of our most vulnerable citizens," Trevorrow said in written testimony. "It ensures that personal belongings are not discarded without due consideration and that individuals have a clear avenue for recourse if their rights are violated." The Maine Department of Transportation, Maine State Police and other representatives of law enforcement testified against the bill. The requirement for a hearing would pose an administrative and legal burden for state and local government, the DOT said in written testimony. Such processes should be reserved only for formal state agency decisions, not routine property management or public safety, the department argued. The DOT also said the storage requirement poses a practical challenge. In 2024 alone, the agency said it spent about $100,000 cleaning up debris left by homeless people on state property, mostly in the Portland area. "The sheer volume of debris would necessitate the construction, rental, or leasing of a storage facility, as well as the creation of new staff positions dedicated to managing, inventorying, and distributing these materials if claimed in the future," DOT Director of Government Affairs Meghan Russo wrote in the testimony. Copy the Story Link
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Rail advocates renew push for passenger service to Bangor
Mar. 4—Narrowly defeated last year, rail advocates have returned with refreshed legislation aimed at restoring passenger service from Portland to Bangor. This time they hope to overcome opposition over how much it would cost and whether enough people would ride it and win state support, similar to the effort that brought the Amtrak Downeaster to southern Maine nearly 24 years ago. Previous opponents, including the Maine Department of Transportation, are expected to continue their fight. Proponents see passenger expansion as a practical and necessary investment that would share the opportunity for economic development that rail delivers with more rural parts of Maine. At the same time, it would provide sustainable mass transportation for residents, workers, commuters, tourists heading for Acadia National Park or waterfront concerts in Bangor and students attending colleges in Lewiston, Waterville, Bangor and Orono. "The track is already there. The opportunity is there," said Rep. Tavis Hasenfus, D-Readfield, who submitted the bill. "We should leave no stone unturned to make it happen." The bill, scheduled for a public hearing Thursday, would direct the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority (NNEPRA), operator of the Amtrak Downeaster, to apply for federal seed money. The funds would be used to develop a proposal for passenger service from Portland through Auburn, Lewiston, Waterville and Bangor to Orono on the CSX Corp. freight line. Other stations would be added as passenger service developed. LD 487 is a slight retooling of a previous bill, LD 860, introduced by Sen. Joe Baldacci, D-Bangor, that was rejected last year. The Senate approved Baldacci's bill, 23-11; the House voted it down, 80-64. The previous bill also drew strong opposition from officials with the MDOT, Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce and NNEPRA, who testified that passenger service to Bangor would be too slow, attract too few riders and cost too much to establish and operate. But proponents of the new bill say opposition last year was based on recommendations from an advisory group that didn't consider Lewiston when factoring traveler interest. That's because proponents and the advisory group initially considered a different rail corridor that passed through Brunswick and would have bypassed Lewiston. Excluding Maine's second-largest city was a mistake from the start, Baldacci said, noting the importance of connecting its three largest municipalities: Portland (population 69,104), Lewiston (38,404) and Bangor (31,628). It's also unfair to deny passenger service to central and northern Maine, he said, especially after investing more than $50 million ($89.7 million today, when adjusted for inflation) to bring the Downeaster from Boston to Portland in December 2001 — and continuing to spend $17 million annually to subsidize the service that now extends to Brunswick. "We're denying the same economic benefit to the northern half of the state and two of Maine's largest cities that was granted to our coastal communities," said Baldacci, the new bill's co-sponsor. "It's short-sighted, really, for the MDOT to say they've got enough to take care of." MASS TRANSIT AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS LD 487 is scheduled for a hearing Thursday before the Legislature's transportation committee. It would provide $20,000 to apply for as much as $500,000 from the U.S. Department of Transportation to develop a proposal for passenger rail between Portland and Orono. Hasenfus grew up in nearby Winthrop, where the CSX line, formerly the Maine Central Railroad, brought summer visitors to boat and swim at a resort on Maranacook Lake in the early 1900s. The railroad ended passenger service in 1960. "A lot of my constituents are interested in having passenger rail service again and the economic benefit that would come to communities along the corridor," Hasenfus said. "It would be a shame not to give this a really good look." Hasenfus and other proponents said they expect MDOT officials and others to resurrect their opposition, but they question old feasibility data that doesn't account for a stop in Lewiston or the impact of recent track upgrades made by CSX, which would make passenger service faster, more attractive and a less expensive proposition. CSX Transportation, which operates on 481 miles of track and maintains 269 public grade crossings in Maine, has made rail improvements in the last two years allowing freight train speeds to increase to 40 mph, up from 10 to 25 mph. The improved tracks would allow passenger trains to travel up to 60 mph, according to Federal Railroad Administration standards. MDOT OPPOSITION PERSISTS In testifying against the previous bill, Nate Moulton, transportation planning director at MDOT, said a study completed in February 2023 estimated that it would cost $375 million to $902 million in equipment and track improvements to expand passenger service to Bangor, depending on which lines were used. Moulton said current Downeaster service covers about 50% of its costs with passenger fares and requires an annual public subsidy over $17 million. He noted that passenger service to Bangor would parallel interstates 95 and 295, where commuters can travel up to 70 mph in personal vehicles or buses. He referred to an MDOT pilot commuter bus service that started last year between Lewiston-Auburn and Portland. "Given the relatively low transit demand, low population densities, high capital and operating costs, low climate and equity benefits, and extensive transportation needs statewide, (MDOT) has determined that it would be imprudent to continue the study of extending passenger rail to Bangor at this time," Moulton said. MDOT didn't respond to a request to interview Moulton but indicated via email that its opposition hasn't shifted. It also expects the cost of establishing passenger service to Bangor would be even higher than previously estimated because of inflation. That doesn't fit the department's planning model. "In our regular transportation planning, (MDOT) places a priority on pragmatic improvements that balance the department's limited financial resources with anticipated benefits to the greatest number of people," said Paul Merrill, department spokesperson. SUPPORT FOR PASSENGER EXPANSION Notable support for the previous bill came from the Portland City Council and Mayor Mark Dion. "It has become clear that a guiding vision of the future use of critical state corridors is necessary, for everything from passenger transportation to freight to active transportation connections," Dion said. "The actions included by this legislation would provide the high-level analysis needed to move the state of Maine on a path toward sustainable community development and away from auto-centric planning." The transportation committee also heard support from residents of Portland, Lewiston, Waterville and Sherry Foster of Bangor, who said passenger service to her city would create jobs, promote economic development and allow "more eco-friendly travel," especially for people who don't drive or can't afford cars. The Maine Rail Group plans to support passenger rail on the CSX line, as it did before, said Doug Rooks, spokesman for the nonprofit that promotes rail service in Maine and New England. "That is the best railroad track in Maine and it's the most direct connection to all major population centers in the state," Rooks said. "We believe people would pay for the service, and that's what we want to test." Other bills submitted this session would allow the MDOT to remove tracks and build recreation trails on 33.5 miles of a state-owned rail line between Brunswick and Augusta (LD 29) and on nearly 10 miles between Portland and Yarmouth (LD 30 and 511). A bill submitted by Sen. Rotundo, D-Lewiston, and cosponsored by Baldacci, LD 472 would direct the Maine-Canadian Legislative Advisory Commission and the New England and Eastern Canada Legislative Commission to examine restoring passenger rail from Boston to Montreal. Copy the Story Link
