AUGUSTA (AP) — Gov. Paul LePage is seeking to reassure Mainers concerned about the proposed east-west highway across the state, saying the study process will be thorough and thoughtful.

The governor’s statement Tuesday comes in the wake of Republican Sen. Doug Thomas’ request to LePage to suspend the study until property owners’ concerns can be addressed. Thomas, of Ripley in Somerset County, supports the highway proposal but says many people are concerned about rights of way and other ways that the land could be used.

LePage said the state Transportation Department is still defining the scope of the study, and has not moved forward to the point of implementation.

“The East-West Highway is an idea that’s been around for a dozen years and that’s what it is, an idea,” LePage said. “We must explore the facts and go on a fact-finding mission, and that is what the state is doing.”

The Legislature in March authorized spending $300,000 for an independent feasibility study of building the 220-mile highway from Calais to Coburn Gore.