The Maine Department of Transportation will spend $4.5 billion in roadway improvements from now through 2028, according to its latest three-year work plan.
The 2,798 projects range from paving and culvert work to massive bridge reconstruction, transit terminals and downtown improvements.
No matter where you live in Maine, roads are a hot topic, especially in the spring as frost heaves settle, potholes appear and the ground becomes workable. In its 362-page plan, the transportation department lays out plans such as paving 3,046 miles of roadway, fixing or replacing 235 bridges and addressing transit facilities and bicycle and pedestrian safety.
But the work comes with hefty price tags. A ton of asphalt, for instance, costs $661 as of March 23, according to the Maine DOT price index. Paving 1 mile of roadway can take 1,250 or more tons, depending on thickness, industry estimates say.
What’s more, construction material prices keep rising — up more than 3% nationally over 2025 due to tariffs, higher metal and oil prices and exacerbated by the war in Iran, Associated General Contractors of America reported last week.
Uncertainties from Iran are already affecting some Maine towns. In the Knox County town of Hope, for instance, officials are waiting for asphalt prices to settle before proceeding with paving contracts. Delays could result if costs remain high.
The state transportation department’s three-year plan breaks the work down by type, funding and location, among other factors.
Highway and bridge work takes the biggest piece of the pie for the next cycle, with those jobs accounting for more than $3 billion of the total $4.5 billion. Multimodal systems — for transportation other than private vehicles — comprise about $1 billion, with the rest allotted to alternative transportation (bike paths, for example), rail, ferry services and aviation.
The projects receive funding from several sources. About 40% comes from state funds such as gasoline taxes, liquor sales and multimodal and general funds, the plan outlines. Federal contributions comprise another 40%, with money from the Federal Highway Administration, congressionally directed spending and grants.
The rest comes largely from previously allotted funds and municipal contributions.
To determine which upcoming jobs will cost the most, the Bangor Daily News analyzed the transportation department’s 2026-28 work plan to find out. Here’s a look at key projects in Aroostook County and elsewhere in Maine.
Aroostook County
Maine’s most expensive project, announced last year with a price tag of $84.3 million, will start in Aroostook County this spring when crews begin Phase 2 of the Presque Isle Bypass. The 6.17-mile piece of road will connect U.S. Route 1 near the Westfield town line to Phase I of the bypass at Conant Road in Presque Isle.
For the next three-year cycle, Maine’s northernmost county will see considerable highway paving, replacement of several bridges and the construction of a new aviation building on Presque Isle International Airport land for VALT Enterprizes’ hypersonic research center, part of the John F. Kennedy Aerospace Research Park.
The most expensive job involves deck replacement on the Aroostook River Bridge between Caribou and Fort Fairfield, with a price tag of $25.8 million. State officials say they will keep part of the bridge open during construction, which is slated to start in 2027.
Check out the chart for the 12 costliest projects in The County.
Most expensive work in every Maine county
Elsewhere in Maine, Bangor and Brewer take the overall top spot this year with the $78.8 million replacement of Interstate 395 bridges.
Click on the map below to see the priciest jobs in each of Maine’s other counties.
