Maine's new $2.6B transportation plan will do less with more
Compared to the 2019 list of capital projects, maintenance activities and other operations, the work plan unveiled Thursday by the Maine Department of Transportation is no bargain.
The three-year rolling plan represents $2.59 billion in spending, up 6% from the one presented last year, but accomplishing about 6% less, based on the number of scheduled projects.
“Higher unit costs will yield substantially lower levels of capital project production in terms of miles of paving, numbers of bridges, etc.,” MDOT says in the plan’s introduction.
The plan, which is updated each year, covers all work to be performed through the department, as well as funding and activities its coordinates with other transportation agencies. The 2020-2022 plan reflects “increased levels” of federal grant money, but also the growing cost of labor, MDOT said.
“Accordingly, this Work Plan largely consists of spreading what used to be two years of capital projects over three years to stay within funding and cost constraints,” the plan reads.
Much of the planned work will consist of short-term fixes rather than long-term solutions.
"With lower levels of capital project production, we are focusing on essential safety needs, bridges, matching federal funds, and low cost patching of higher-priority roads until normal treatments become fiscally possible,” Commissioner Bruce Van Note said in a news release.
“The reality is that we are now competently managing a slow decline of our transportation system until bipartisan funding solutions materialize. The system will not fail immediately, and we will do our best to avoid any serious safety impacts, but holding actions only work for a short time, and the reliability of the system will suffer."
Despite the overall reduction in workload, for example, MDOT now plans to spend $76 million, up slightly from last year’s projection, on repairing state roads with so-called “skinny mix,” a light, temporary pavement.
Another example is the number of planned highway safety and spot improvements. The department is planning 170 of them at a cost of $122.5 million, compared to the previous estimate of 203 at $71.7 million.
The biggest project in the new plan is the replacement of the Madawaska-Edmundston International Bridge, at an estimated cost of $84.6 million. The 928-foot-long span, built in 1920, crosses the Saint John River and provides a vital link for residents and businesses in both Maine and New Brunswick. But structural deterioration has required vehicle weight limitations on the bridge and forced commercial traffic to make detours.
“Under the bridge's current weight limits, all commercial traffic from Canada to Madawaska must now be rerouted primarily through Van Buren, adding 75 miles and nearly two hours in transit time to each trip,” said Madawaska Town Manager Gary Picard in the release. “We need a new bridge."
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