AUGUSTA – A bill to authorize $160 million in municipal bonds over four years and increase vehicle registration fees to pay for bridge improvement projects received a public hearing before the Legislature’s Transportation Committee on Thursday.

Proponents of the bill pointed to last fall’s “Bridge Watch List” issued by the state Department of Transportation as evidence that the state needs to address its eroding infrastructure. The latest DOT list includes 485 bridges, or about 18 percent of all bridges statewide, that have received a “poor” rating after state inspections. More than 100 bridges on the list are located in Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford counties.

“Bridges are large pieces of infrastructure that tie regions of our state together,” said Rep. Boyd Marley, D-Portland, the House chairman of the committee, who presented the bill on behalf of the governor. “If we continue to let those deteriorate, it’s going to cost us significantly more in future years. This bill allows us to get a head start on the bridge problem.”

The bill proposes increasing the registration fee for noncommercial vehicles by $10 to $35 per year, the title fee by $10 to $33 per year and the vanity plate fee by $10 to $25 per year, for an estimated increase in revenue of between $10 million and $15 million annually. The fee increases would still keep Maine below the New England average, Marley said.

Gov. John Baldacci organized a study of Maine’s bridges in reaction to the tragic collapse of a bridge in Minneapolis last August that killed 13 people. A report issued by the group said Maine needs between $50 million and $60 million in annual funding to address problems with its aging bridges.

“This bill is reasonable,” said Rep. Richard Cebra, R-Naples, a member of the Transportation Committee who testified in support of the bill. “It’s important for our economic future, it will add greatly needed dollars to a thinly stretched bridge program, the fee increases are minor and it will go a long way toward our goal of keeping our bridges safe.”

DOT Commissioner David Cole, the Association of General Contractors of Maine, and representatives from Cianbro and local bridge construction companies all testified in support of the bill.

Cole said the bill directs his department to work with the University of Maine in developing cost-effective composite technologies to help extend the life of bridges. He also said if the bill passed it would generate an additional 1,200 jobs annually.

Kathleen Newman, president of Associated Builders and Contractors of Maine, testified in support of the bill, but said one of the members of her organization was concerned that commercial vehicle fees were not being increased as well.

“They have dump trucks, crane trucks, big trucks, and they wonder why we’re expecting their employees to pay these increased fees and not the companies themselves,” she said.

Committee members Marley and Sen. Christine Savage, R-Knox, both told Newman past trucking industry opposition to legislation requiring fee increases was the reason why commercial registration fees were not included in the bill.

The committee voted to pass the legislation onto the floor of the House after making technical changes.