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September 17, 2009

Maine DOT seeks $230M in fed funds

By The Mainebiz News Staff

The Maine Department of Transportation has submitted five grant applications for funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery program, and is working with New Hampshire DOT on a sixth application to rehabilitate the Memorial Bridge that connects Kittery and Portsmouth. The state's five applications total $166.2 million, and the joint ME-NH project is another $70 million.

Here are the projects:

• Caribou connector project: $25 million. Construction of a 4.3-mile highway between U.S. Route 1 and Route 161 in Caribou

• Eastport gateway rail project: $57.7 million. Rehabilitation of the rail line from Calais to Perry so that it means Federal Railroad Administration standards for 25-mph passage, as well as construction of a truck-to-rail loading and storage facility in Perry

• Northern tier rail restoration project: $23 million. Purchase and improve 240 miles of rail corridor in Penobscot and Aroostook counties currently operated by Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railroad. MMA has asked the state to take over the rail lines.

• Mountain Division rail project: $28.5 million. Rehabilitation of a 51-mile rail corridor connecting the national rail system in Portland to Maine's western Mountains for freight and excursion passenger rail to Fryeburg

• Revitalize Maine's ports project: $32 million. A package project. $2 million would go to the Port of Eastport in conjunction with a $4.5 million bond to construct a warehouse and storage pad. $23 million would go to the Port of Portland to build a lay-down area, lighting upgrades and widening the pier access, as well as construction of a contained aquatic disposal cell where dredge material could be deposited. $7 million would fund a port crane for the dry cargo pier at Mack Point in Searsport.

• Bi-state Memorial Bridge project: $70 million. Improvements to the Memorial Bridge that include rehabilitation of the structure.

Grants are expected to be awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation no later than January 2010.

Reader comments

From Nancy Beaule (Thu 9/17/2009 4:35 PM)

We live in the Moosehead area and the main roads traveling from Southern and Central Maine toward this area are in total disrepair! People are hauling boats, atv's, snowmobiles, etc. on trailers and they lose tires and ruin their vehicles on these terrible roads. This area needs the tourists and this discourages them. Yet the majority of the money DOT wants is for railroads, which would be OK if the ROADS weren't falling apart. I would love to hear from other people on this subject.  

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