Lower Road Rail Use Advisory Council

The Lower Road Rail Use Advisory Council was officially formed in November of 2022 by MaineDOT Commissioner Bruce Van Note as a result of L.D. 1133, An Act To Amend the Transportation Laws. The Bill, passed by the State Legislature in 2021, established guidelines for the review of nonrail recreational or nonrecreational transportation use of state-owned inactive rail corridors by Rail Corridor Use Advisory Councils. Advisory Councils will review and make recommendations on the likelihood, economic benefits and costs of potential uses of the rail corridor, including, but not limited to, rail use, trail use or bikeways. Any non-rail use of a rail corridor must be considered by a council to be interim in nature, and all such rail corridors must be preserved for future rail use.

The Lower Road Rail Use Advisory Council will review the approximately 34-mile section of the State-owned rail corridor known as the Lower Road from Rockland Junction in Brunswick (immediately east of the Federal Street at-grade crossing) to the east side of the railroad bridge over the Kennebec River in Augusta. Watch the full rail ride here.

Reports

Supporting Documents