Approved $85M transportation bond helps, but much more is needed for Maine's infrastructure
Matthew Marks, CEO of the Associated General Contractors of Maine, wasn't exactly surprised that Maine voters decisively approved by a 73%–27% margin an $85 million bond in the Nov. 3 statewide vote that will pay for dozens of highway and transportation infrastructure projects throughout the state.
Still, he's relieved the bond passed.
“This was a necessity,” he told Mainebiz in a telephone interview after Election Day. “We were really concerned that if this didn't happen, we would see lots of projects curtailed. We're very happy, obviously, that Maine voters see the value of maintaining and upgrading our roads and bridges.”
The $85 million approved by voters is expected to leverage an estimated $121.5 million in matching funds from the federal government and other sources.
Here's the breakdown of how the funds will be used:
Highways, roads, bridges: $68 million
These funds would be spent in three ways:
- To construct, reconstruct or rehabilitate state highways that have been designated as Priority 1, 2 or 3 by the Maine Department of Transportation;
- To repair secondary roads in partnership with municipalities under the existing Municipal Partnership Initiative program, which requires municipalities to contribute 50% or more of a project's cost.
- To replace and rehabilitate bridges.
Highway and bridge projects are matched with federal funds on a ratio of 1.1 to 1 (federal to state) dollars.
All told, the $68 million is expected to leverage approximately $75 million in federal and local matching funds for highway, secondary road and bridge projects throughout the state.
Multi-modal projects: $17 million
These funds would be spent on a variety of projects, including facilities, equipment and acquisition of property related to ports, harbors, marine transportation, aviation, railroads (both passenger and freight), public transportation and bicycle and pedestrian trails. Top priority is given to projects that preserve public safety or otherwise demonstrate high economic value in terms of transportation.
The $17 million investment is expected to be matched by approximately $46.5 million in federal, local and private funds.
Still not keeping pace
Even with this total infusion of $200 million in funding, Marks acknowledged that both on the state and federal level, we're not keeping pace with aging infrastructure needs that will require far more money being spent than current levels.
“More than 350 of our bridges statewide are structurally deficient,” Marks said. “How are we going to fix that if we just stick to doing the basics?”
A report released in October by TRIP, a national transportation research group, lends support to Marks' concern. If the Maine Department of Transportation's current annual bridge funding remains flat at $70 million — which actually is a decrease to its 2007–2009 level from the $112 million annual level maintained from 2009 to 2013 — TRIP warned “the share of the state's bridges currently in poor condition would triple by 2021, from 11% to 33%.”
TRIP also pointed out that an annual bridge investment of $140 million is needed just to maintain the state's bridges in their current condition.
Marks said similar arguments could be made about greater investments being needed to upgrade the state's aging water and sewer lines, its schools and an infrastructure maintenance backlog of the seven-campus University of Maine system pegged by UMaine Chancellor James Page in 2014 as being more than $430 million.
“Maine is in a tough spot,” Marks said, predicting that the state's Legislature will be grappling with how to pay for all those infrastructure needs not only in the next session of the 127th Legislature that begins in January, but for many years to come.
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