People should take a ride on Route 9 between downtown Lisbon Falls and the Sabattus interchange so they can see for themselves the federal stimulus money at work. The massive tree-cutting project now underway shows how good intentions can have disastrous results. Every last tree in a 100-foot right-of-way is being cut, leaving in its wake a changed landscape.

Route 9 needed to be rebuilt, but the project could have been handled with more sensitivity. MDOT engineers were always resistant to a more scenic reconstruction with narrower shoulders and less tree cutting. Their 100-foot property seizures and take-it-or-leave-it approach to compensation are now matched with callousness in construction. One neighbor of mine was seen crying on the lawn as a huge machine chomped down her decades-old lilac bushes.

MDOT property appraisers said the trees are “of no value” and the project will “increase property values.” They claim their work will make “hidden houses stand out.”

They are right about that. Take a ride and see for yourself.

Curtis H. Lunt, Lisbon Falls