Governor Paul LePage (R) announced January 12 a plan to invest $2 billion into the state’s transportation infrastructure over the next three years.
The “Work Plan,” as it is called, proposes an estimated 1,929 road, bridge and transit projects to be accomplished from 2015 through 2017. For-hundred and sixty-nine million dollars has already been allocated for the 523 projects scheduled to begin in 2015.
Several sources for transportation funding are listed in the document, including anticipated revenue from the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit Administration, and the Federal Aviation Administration. Other funding sources listed include U.S. Department of Transportation TIGER grants, Grant Anticipation Revenue (GARVEE) bonds, Maine’s State Highway Fund, General Obligation bonds, and other state transportation revenue accounts. The report cautions that, if these sources do not produce the anticipated funding, projects listed in the Work Plan may need to be adjusted.
David Bernhardt, P.E., Commissioner of the Maine Department of Transportation, stated in the report’s introduction, “I want to highlight a couple of features in this year’s Work Plan. The first is the significant investment we are making in Maine’s economy. In addition to maintaining a healthy highway and bridge system, we are continuing to make strategic investment in our ports, freight-rail and aviation facilities—all targeted to improve access and lower transportation costs for the businesses that employ Maine people and help grow our economy.”
To read the Work Plan, visit: http://maine.gov/mdot/projects/workplan/docs/2015/WorkPlan2015-2016-2017.pdf