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In an age of hyper-partisanship and funding instability, the Maine Legislature’s Transportation Committee continues to be a role model for bipartisan leadership and commonsense solutions. They deserve to be thanked for showing the road forward doesn’t need to be a rocky one!
For decades, Maine didn’t invest enough in our roads, bridges, and transportation infrastructure, and that cost our economy and our pocketbooks big time — at least $1,800 per driver each year in areas like Bangor. This is due to higher vehicle operating costs, traffic crashes, and congestion-related delays, according to the national transportation research nonprofit TRIP.
The previous Legislature worked hard to make funding more sustainable by designating some of the revenue generated by the sales tax on automobiles and equipment to go to highways, bridges, and non-highway modes. This stable funding should help address the D+ ratings Maine received for our bridges, according to the Maine Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Legislators and the governor reaffirmed the Highway Fund budget this year while also supporting storm preparedness after coming together last year to prevent a highway robbery. Instead, they refused to move transportation funds into General Fund programs. They deserve praise and recognition for their efforts to create a strong foundation for economic prosperity through sustainable infrastructure funding. Strong transportation funding and infrastructure investment preserves and stimulates — from economic progress to affordable housing to the thousands of Mainers that work in the industry to support their families and communities.
Eric Ritchie
President
Sargent
Orono
