AUGUSTA, Maine (Sept. 29, 1999) Ð The cost to build a new four-lane east-west highway across Maine would overwhelm any benefits to the state, a study concluded.

The report, commissioned by the Maine Dept. of Transportation, was the latest of several to examine the feasibility of a link between New Hampshire or Quebec and the New Brunswick border.

It concluded that a new 227-mile highway would cost $117 billion US to build. While the cross-state route would help the northern Maine economy, 60% of those benefiting from an improved road across the state would be Canadian.

Lawmakers are expected to explore other options, including:

o An improved two-lane road starting at the New Brunswick border in Vanceboro and traveling west along Route 6, Route 16 and finally U.S. Route 201 to Quebec. Projected cost: $152 million.

o A two-lane road that would start in Calais and follow Route 9, Route 46, and Route 1A to Interstate 395 in Brewer. From there, travelers would head south along I-95, exit in Newport and follow U.S. Route 2 to the New Hampshire border. Projected cost: $165 million.

o A two-lane road that would follow the existing route between Calais and Brewer and lead drivers along I-95 to Newport. From there, drivers would take U.S. Route 2 to state Route 27 in Farmington, which would reach the Quebec border at Coburn Gore. Projected cost: $208 million.

o A four-lane highway that would would run parallel to much of Route 9 in eastern Maine. But instead of exiting I-95 in Newport, travelers would continue on to a point between Augusta and Gray. From there, they would resume heading west to the New Hampshire border. Projected cost of the 156-mile highway: $796 million.

Most of the proposed routes would require a combination of tolls and taxes to pay for them.