These are hard times in state government and, yes, we need to tighten our belts and do all we can to make sure that important programs are funded. Still, I begin to worry when all I hear is a loud chorus calling out: “Let the Turnpike pay for it.”

That has become the rallying cry for a diverse group, from politicians to advocacy groups that would like the Maine Turnpike pay for projects ranging from commuter buses to Memorial Bridge to an East-West highway.

One of the forums they have used has been the Government Oversight Committee’s review of the OPEGA report on the Turnpike (OPEGA stands for Office Program Evaluation and Government Accountability).

The OPEGA review was an exhaustive look at eight issues, including whether there are surplus toll revenues that could be transferred to MaineDOT for other programs. The concluding 88-page report by the OPEGA staff is overwhelmingly positive.

As a member of the Government Oversight Committee, I have read the full report and was impressed by the thoroughness of the review. The OPEGA staff did a remarkable job examining the inner workings of the Maine Turnpike Authority, and that was no easy task. The MTA is a truly unique agency, not only for Maine but for the country.

It looked at how the MTA is able to earn exceptionally high bond ratings — the highest in the region and among the highest nationally — and keep its tolls among the lowest in the nation. In its follow-up to the report, the GOC also has heard testimony about the MTA’s bond rating that underscores how important it will be to tread carefully as we consider the future of the Turnpike.

If MTA bonds were to drop from AA- to A-, it would cost Maine Turnpike customers $3.5 million in additional interest charges. That is about how much it costs to replace one aging bridge — and loss of that money in these lean times is something we cannot afford.

In terms of surplus operating funds that could be diverted to MaineDOT, OPEGA found that while there has not been a “surplus” per se, the MTA has included regular financial support for MaineDOT including fund transfers, bond proceeds and payments toward joint projects in its annual budget — a total of about $135 million since 1994.

That takes the air out of arguments that the MTA has not stepped up when it can to help MaineDOT.

During the past two months, the GOC also has received a considerable amount of positive testimony that has not been included in media reports: about the safety of the highway and the efficiency of its operations. The committee also has received letters from municipal governments and civic organizations representing more than 20 communities within its corridor (including my hometown of Biddeford). Those letters praise the MTA for its stewardship of Maine’s most important highway and oppose legislative measures that would endanger its efficiency and effectiveness.

That testimony also has demonstrated how important it is to use toll payers’ money for the purpose it is paid — to continue to maintain the Turnpike to a standard of excellence Turnpike customers pay for and deserve.

There are troubling issues that have been raised during the course of the OPEGA review, and subsequent testimony that is still being resolved, including the purchase and use of gift certificates and other expenditures. If there was any improper use of toll funds by an employee of the MTA, then proper measures clearly must be taken.

Substantial changes are being made in turnpike policies to address many of these issues, and this is critical given our times. The MTA has a new interim director, Peter Mills, who appears to understand the difficult path ahead. I hope that he will be able to steer the organization through these tough times and avoid all the schemes to divert toll-payers’ money to pet projects throughout the state.

I offer this advice to the governor and everyone who hopes the Turnpike will solve their funding problems: If we truly need a new bus service or an east-west highway, or to fix bridges on our other highways, we should find a way to fund these things that makes sense. Let’s not pile on debt and undermine the effectiveness of Maine’s most important highway.

State Sen. Nancy Sullivan, D-Biddeford, represents Senate District 4.