It costs $1 to drive from Lewiston to Augusta on I-95, the Maine Turnpike.

It costs 60 cents to drive from Portland to Augusta on I-295.

It costs $1.25 to drive from Lewiston to Portland on the Turnpike.

It costs 60 cents to drive from Augusta to Portland on I-295.

There’s our 40 and 65 cents, respectively, on why Gov. John Baldacci shouldn’t react so harshly to the prospect of new tolls on I-295, the feeder highway between Portland and Augusta. Those stuck in the middle, Lewiston-Auburn, now suffer from higher toll costs for access to our communities.

It’s unfair. Tolls for travel between southern and central Maine – in both directions – should at least be equal on both highways. The discount for I-295 undoubtedly lures travelers away from I-95 for the stretch through Lewiston-Auburn, and neighbors like Sabattus, Gray, and New Gloucester.

And a new service plaza at I-295/I-95 West Gardiner is opening while Lewiston’s is closing. Hmmm….

This week, the Legislature’s Transportation Committee agreed to study the prospect of tolls on I-295 to generate additional revenue for infrastructure maintenance. Maine is facing a $2.2 billion gap in what it requires for infrastructure projects and what it can raise from current revenue sources.

Fuel taxes have been the primary source of transportation funds, but meteoric prices and emphasis on controlling fuel consumption have made gasoline a volatile revenue generator. The transportation committee has wisely made finding new revenue streams for infrastructure its top priority.

The toll study is its first effort. Gov. Baldacci, in response, issued a statement saying there’s more savings to be had from consolidating the Maine Turnpike Authority within the Maine Department of Transportation, than building tollbooths today along a highway where they don’t exist.

He might be right. But even if the MTA and the DOT merge, and go on the governor’s consolidation diet like schools and probably jails, it won’t alter the obvious inequality in the toll system.

L-A’s been unfortunate when it come to highways. The Turnpike snakes far from the cities, and its exits, 75 in Danville and 80 on outer Lisbon, are inconvenient to L-A’s commercial center. It’s likely the decision to route the Turnpike away from L-A’s downtowns has contributed to their struggles.

Then there’s the I-295 discount. Without access to this cheaper alternative, those who live in L-A and those heading to L-A pay more to use the Turnpike, while others cruise from Falmouth to Gardiner.

Baldacci might oppose new tolls in principal, but he shouldn’t dismiss the idea without study. A new report cites L-A’s economic growth as the best among Maine’s major cities.

Doesn’t this region deserve some consideration for a further boost by removing an incentive to bypass it?

We think so.