January 11, 2008
   
  UPCOMING MBTA EVENTS
 
 
Thursday, March 6
Cumberland County Meeting
Portland Marriott
South Portland, 5 pm

Thursday, May 1
2008 Annual Meeting
Senator Inn, Augusta, 5 pm


Visit our events page for more information...

For more information, contact the MBTA at (207) 622-0526

 
Congratulations! LD 1790 is law!
LD 1790: “An Act to Secure Maine’s Transportation Future” became law this past weekend, and I wanted to make sure that we all took the time to recognize this important victory.

The bill has been called “the most significant transportation legislation of the past 50 years,” and it gives MaineDOT and the Maine Legislature the tools they need to secure a consistent stream of funding for the state’s failing transportation infrastructure.  LD 1790:
  • sets in statute comprehensive, measurable goals to guide transportation investment;
  • creates a first-ever debt policy for transportation capital spending;
  • creates two new financing tools to allow revenue bond financing through the Maine Municipal Bond Bank - one using GARVEE bonds and the other using state highway funds (TransCap Trust Fund). 
The MBTA board and I would like to thank all of you who have worked so hard on this legislation, which the Association developed and brought forward last year. It took a huge effort, and it wouldn’t have happened without you!  Clearly, our members provided significant financial resources, as well as moral support, and many calls, visits, letters and e-mails to policy makers. Several MBTA members and coalition members also met with legislative leaders and rank and file legislators, and spoke in front of the Transportation Committee on behalf of the bill.  I firmly believe that your words and active support made a big difference.  

We also thank members of the Legislature’s Transportation committee who voted for and advocated for the bill – and championed it in their respective chambers. Their solid support of this measure helped ensure passage of the bill.  Please contact these legislators and thank them for helping get LD 1790 enacted.
 
We are particularly grateful to Senator Damon who sponsored the original legislation and Representative Marley, co-chairs of the Transportation Committee, for their strong leadership throughout the process.  Other members of the committee listed above fought hard to get their respective caucuses to support this bill.  Without their efforts, we wouldn’t have had the strong votes on the floor of the House and Senate: 21 – 13 in the Senate, and an astonishing 124 – 17 in the House.  To see how your legislator voted, please see the Roll Call links below:

I personally want to particularly thank John Melrose, president of Maine Tomorrow and MBTA senior policy advisor, for his tireless work over the past 18 months in doing the policy research that led to the creation of the bill, which he ultimately drafted and shepherded through the process, with the help of others.  What is clear is that this effort wouldn’t have happened without John.  

We also thank MaineDOT for their assistance and support and for working with the Governor and his staff to ensure the bill became law. The Governor issued a statement supporting the bill in which he said: “I fully support this bill and am pleased that it will finally become law,  It will give the Maine Department of Transportation new and necessary tools to maintain our state’s vital transportation infrastructure.”  Please thank the Governor for his support as well @ john.e.baldacci@maine.gov, or Governor Baldacci.

We still have a great deal of work ahead of us as we continue discussions with the governor’s office, MaineDOT and the legislature about the steps needed to fund the measure.

As you know, legislators are grappling with a $98 million budget deficit in the General Fund, and a $16 million deficit in the Highway Fund - a fund that has already been devastated by over $200 million in highway project cuts over the past two years.  Still, there are some transportation funding ideas on the table and interest on the part of legislative leaders who understand just how important it is for Maine to invest in its transportation infrastructure – for both the safety of our citizens and for our economy.

The MBTA is committed to continuing the fight for a reliable and consistent source of funding that will ensure safer, more efficient transportation in Maine. We now have a new law on our side – with clear goals, a debt policy and financing tools. That will surely help even in these financially challenging times!

Thanks again for all your hard work and support.

Maria Fuentes
Executive Director

2008 MBTA schedule on line
The new MBTA 2008 schedule is online, so be sure to check it out. It has all the dates and available information on upcoming events, including our upcoming March 6 meeting, the 2008 Annual Meeting (May 1), Infrastructure Golf Tournament (July 10 at a new location!), the Fall Convention (September 12-14) and the Maine Transportation Conference (December 4).

For the complete calendar, visit www.mbtaonline.org/events.

Cracks in the surface: Pike’s 2008 calendar
 
During the past couple of weeks, Pike Industries has been handing out one of the most sought after 2008 calendars in the transportation industry.
 
This is the second year that Pike has compiled its “2008 Maine Road Conditions Calendar” and distributed it to the governor, legislators, MaineDOT and other leaders throughout the state. This year, many of the highways featured in the calendar are from MaineDOT’s 2005 list of deferred projects. Because of budgetary restraints, the roads shown continue to be on the state’s highway backlog list more than two years later.
 
The calendar represents a significant effort on behalf of Pike to bring attention to the highway funding crisis in Maine. This year 16 Pike employees helped photograph the roads, compile statistics and distribute 500 calendars. “It’s a time-consuming undertaking,” said Pike’s Jim Hanley, an MBTA board member. “But we figure it’s not just good for Pike, it’s good for the whole industry and for the state.”
 
One striking image is December – a photo of Route 17 at the “Height of Land” scenic lookout near Houghton that shows crumbling pavement, a soft gravel shoulder and a guardrail that looks as if it is about to fall down the steep mountainside. Route 17 is part of the Rangeley Lakes National Scenic Byways and is a popular destination for thousands of tourists every year. The deteriorating condition of the highway threatens to diminish the view.
 
For more information about the calendar, please contact Jim Hanley, Pike Industries, 207-854-2561, ext. 181.