With the beginning of 2007 and the start of the Legislative session, the big question is this: How strong a message will the Governor send when he proposes a new transportation bond ? and will that bond be big enough to make a dent in MaineDOT?s dangerously growing backlog of highway and bridge improvement projects? Will it be big enough to address critical aviation, rail, marine and trail projects that Maine communities have had to postpone for years?

MBTA President Scott Leach and the MBTA Board of Directors are watching this issue closely. ?We?re very concerned about the effect on the safety of Maine citizens if the bond is not big enough,? said Leach recently. ?Every region in Maine has important projects that have been backburnered during the past few years. Hopefully this year, we can get down to the work of getting our roads fixed.?

The MBTA staff is working closely with MaineDOT, the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation and the Governor?s Office to make the case for a sizable bond. In typical bienniums over the past decade, the transportation bond has been in the $60 million range and has been as high as $93 million. Clearly, these are not typical times with double-digit construction inflation and an anemic MaineDOT capital program. Since the transportation bond only totaled $33 million last biennium, there is a lot of catching up to do.

MBTA members are encouraged to let their legislators, the Governor and their local newspapers know that we are endangering Maine citizens by continuing to neglect our transportation system. Maine needs a transportation bond in the $150 to $200 million range. Please watch for updates from the MBTA on this very important issue.

Calling for change:

How will Maine fund its transportation infrastructure?

That question is the centerpiece of a new movement by MBTA to address the growing funding gap for Maine?s essential transportation infrastructure. The past month has been a very active one for the MBTA, as we have continued our work to get state leaders to secure a long-term funding solution for our failing highways and bridges.

Senator Dennis Damon (Hancock County), co-chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation, has introduced ?An Act to Secure Maine?s Transportation Future.? The bill, still in draft form, addresses the funding deficit on four fronts: 1) how to fund rehabilitation and modernization of Maine?s arterials and collectors; 2) ways to address rehabilitation/rebuilding of aging bridges; 3) funding transportation improvements that will foster revival of Maine?s urban and rural town centers, and 4) how Maine should fund major, project specific capacity/corridor improvements.

The MBTA is leading the effort to establish a broad-based coalition to support this effort. Already we have more than 40 groups that have signed on to participate in the campaign for funding reform. If you are a member of an organization that believes it is time to finally address how to fix our failing highway system, please call the MBTA at 207.622.0526 for a sign-up form. We are looking for help in growing our coalition!

We need your help educating local and state leaders on this critical issue. The MBTA is co-sponsoring legislative briefings on the issue. We have held successful regional briefings in Caribou and Bangor. Since the Legislature is in session, we are looking for members who are willing to come to Augusta to meet with local legislators. If you are able to co-host such a meeting, MBTA will organize and staff the briefing. Another option is to host a meeting in your area, but the trick is to find a time when legislators are around. Of course, members are encouraged to talk with their own legislators about this issue at any time ? during the week or evenings and weekends. You are their constituents and they work for you. For more information, please contact Maria Fuentes at 207-622-0526 or maria@mbtaonline.org.

MBTA testifies against supplemental budget

MBTA testified before the Transportation Committee in opposition to LD 327, the Highway Fund Supplemental Budget last week. The testimony, delivered by MBTA Senior Policy Analyst John Melrose, said that the budget sets a dangerous precedent by dealing with shortfalls exclusively by cutting capital projects. If passed, the budget would cut an additional $14.2 million in capital projects from the MaineDOT budget. The MBTA noted that if the Legislature approved the budget as it is, ?they will be saying that fixing Maine?s roads and bridges is the lowest priority for any dollar that goes into the Highway Fund.?

Last year, the MaineDOT cancelled $90 million in projects across the state, due to shortfalls caused largely by dramatic cost increases to construction materials. The Legislature?s failure to pass a bond issue to restore those projects exacerbated an already weak program. The shortfall in the supplemental budget will mean that an additional $14.2 million in cuts to capital projects will take place. ?We strenuously object to this cut,? said Melrose. He noted that the continuing downward projections to Highway Fund revenues are ?one more clear sign of the gravely deteriorating conditions of the Highway Fund.? He noted that current policy will allow a state road to be fixed once every 250 years and state bridges once every 200 years.

He also cited a poll commissioned by MBTA that found:

91% of the traveling public experiences poor road conditions on a daily basis.
Nearly half of the respondents said that poor road conditions caused an accident for them, a member of their family or a friend.

MBTA research has also determined that bad roads cost Maine taxpayers $1.1 billion per year when you combine costs of vehicle crashes, cost of congestion and cost of vehicle repairs.

The Transportation Committee will hold a work session on the budget Thursday, February 1, in the afternoon.