JAY – State transportation leaders are conducting a forum Wednesday to discuss transportation needs, from pedestrian to airplane, during the next 20 years.
The Maine Department of Transportation has scheduled seven meetings throughout the state to receive comment on a statewide long-range transportation plan.
The western Maine meeting, the second in the series, which covers Lisbon up to the Canadian border, is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 12 at LaFleur’s Restaurant on Route 4 in Jay. Check-in begins at 8 a.m. Preregistration is required for seating and refreshments. People may call 1-800-380-7822 for more information.
The meeting will be in segments to look at the existing transportation system, future needs and emerging economic and social trends that may affect the transportation system over the next 20 years, Gerry Audibert, the director of policy development and state planning with the Bureau of Planning, said Monday.
Every mode of transportation will be discussed, he said.
Among the topics are finding alternate funding for transportation projects. That segment is called “Feeding the Beast: The Funding Dilemma” and begins at 1 p.m.
Most of the state’s revenue for transportation projects comes from the gas tax, and with the high price of gas, Audibert said, the state needs to find other ways to decrease the dependence on the tax.
Among the other sessions are “Piecing Together Tomorrow,” which begins at 9:20 a.m. A video will be shown with economic experts talking about Maine’s future, followed by discussion on statewide transportation needs and a regional transportation assessment summary.
At 11:15 a.m. there will be a facilitated discussion on the future global, statewide and regional transportation system.
During the noon lunch, a regional planning director is expected to speak.
At 1:30 p.m. a discussion on electronic tolling will be held.
The forum will conclude with a discussion on sustaining the transportation system.
After the state completes its seven forums, a long-range plan will be drafted, Audibert said. The federal government, which funds roughly 80 percent of transportation projects in the state, requires a plan to be developed to establish statewide goals and objectives.
Audibert also said there would be some discussion on projects in the state’s work plan for the next six years.
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