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October 24, 2007

Turnpike authority scraps toll study

The Maine Turnpike Authority will not conduct a study on adding tolls to portions of Maine's highways after Governor John Baldacci strongly criticized the idea.

A legislative committee last month cleared the turnpike authority to complete the $40,000 study to look at collecting tolls on Interstate 295 between West Gardiner and Scarborough, and Interstate 95 north of Augusta as a way to raise funds for the state's cash-strapped Department of Transportation. The state's transportation system is facing a $2.2 billion funding shortfall over the next 10 years, according to the Portland Press Herald.

Gov. Baldacci immediately said no new tolls would be created during his tenure as governor. Instead, Baldacci supports combining the turnpike authority and the Maine DOT to save money. But opponents of that plan say it's a bad idea since the turnpike authority, which operates entirely on revenue raised by tolls and other fees, is financially healthy, while the state DOT is struggling, according to the Press Herald.

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