BANGOR (AP) – State spending for road improvements is deficient, and that has a negative effect on the state economy, says a report by a group that lobbies for highway users, builders and municipalities.
The Maine Better Transportation Association’s report, unveiled Wednesday, also calls for reinvesting in Maine’s transportation network.
At news conferences in Portland and Bangor, former state Transportation Commissioner John Melrose said that between the Great Depression of the 1930s and completion of the Interstate in the 1970s, “Maine struggled up the hill putting in place a remarkable transportation system of highway and bridges.”
Since then, the state has been heading in the opposite direction, said Melrose, author of the report “Losing Ground: A report on the state of Maine’s Highway Fund.”
“Nearly half of all roads under state jurisdiction, nearly 4,000 miles, have yet to be rehabilitated to modern-day standards,” said Melrose. In addition, 1,048 bridges are more than 50 years old, he said.
Maine relies on user fees, primarily motor fuel taxes, to pay for highway improvements. But the report says inflation and increased fuel efficiency, which allows more miles traveled to the gallon consumed, have conspired to sharply reduce the value of the fuel tax.
Adjusting for inflation, the report says, Maine has reduced its commitment to highway transportation by $3 billion during the past couple of decades.
“We are leaving the next generation with an ever-growing burden of rebuilding a disproportionate share of our highway and bridge inventory,” Melrose said. “The sooner we face this challenge, the easier the next trek up the hill will be.”
The report says that “slacking off” on transportation investment for more than 20 years has contributed to Maine’s underperforming economy, fragile tax base and high tax burden.
Poorly maintained highways add to the time spent getting goods to market and increase wear and damage to vehicles, increasing costs, said Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce President Candy Guerette.
But she said one bright spot in the region’s transportation funding is the $300 billion federal transportation bill passed by Congress in July, which provides $1.2 billion for Maine projects.
On the Net:
Maine Better Transportation Association: www.mbtaonline.org
Information from: Bangor Daily News, http://www.bangornews.com
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