State lawmakers struggle to fund road repairs
7/8/09 | 19 comments
state house

State lawmakers struggle to fund road repairs


By Kevin Miller
BDN Staff

AUGUSTA — Lawmakers renewed their efforts Tuesday to address the growing backlog of road repair projects in Maine less than a month after several proposals to increase the gas tax failed to win support in the Legislature.

Members of the Transportation Committee are scheduled to hold two special meetings this summer to attempt to find a new way to fund the hundreds of miles of paving, patching and repairs required on older, state-maintained roads.

The committee wrapped up the first of those meetings — held Tuesday in the State House — with a better understanding of the scope of the problem but only a loose list of possible solutions.

“I think we’ve got some questions that need to be answered,” said committee member Rep. Doug Thomas, R-Ripley, an outspoken critic of attempts to raise the gas tax.

The Maine Department of Transportation maintains roughly 8,000 miles of roadways in the state. About 4,200 miles of those roads are considered “unbuilt,” meaning they were not constructed to today’s standards and therefore need semi-regular attention to remain passable.

During the legislative session, Transportation Committee members had put forward a number of proposals — all involving some increase to the gas tax — to make more headway on the roughly 600 miles of “maintenance surface paving” needed on unbuilt roads annually.

But none of those proposals won approval. As a result, the highway budget passed by the Legislature contains enough money to perform maintenance paving on just 230 miles of roads this fiscal year and zero miles next year, according to the DOT.

On Tuesday, committee members discussed a range of ideas, including using more bonds, redirecting other DOT funds, reducing the number of roads maintained by the state and revisiting the gas tax issue.

The committee deferred any discussion of specific solutions to its next meeting, rescheduled for Aug. 11.

Several lawmakers said many of the constituents who contact them are willing to pay a few cents more per gallon as long as all of the money goes to actually repairing the crumbling roads that damage cars and pose safety risks to drivers.

Every penny increase in Maine’s gas tax — now set at 29.5 cents per gallon — is estimated to generate $7.2 million in revenue for the state.

Rep. Ann Peoples, D-Westbrook, said there is no magical solution to the state’s road maintenance problems.

“As far as I’m concerned, we put it all on the table and we talk about all of it,” Peoples said. “And if somebody is upset with us, then maybe they will have another idea.”

Committee co-chairman Sen. Dennis Damon, D-Hancock, said he realizes that any gas tax proposal submitted to the Legislature in 2010 will be dead on arrival because it is an election year. So Damon, who supports increasing the levy on fuels, said he hopes the committee will have a chance to present a recommendation to the Legislature later this year if lawmakers return for a special session to deal with ongoing budget shortfalls.

“I’m not willing to spend our time this summer putting together, on a fool’s errand … a proposal that isn’t going to go anywhere,” Damon said.

In response to questioning from Damon, Thomas acknowledged that it would be “awfully hard” to pay for 600 miles of maintenance annually without raising the gas tax. But Thomas remains convinced there are additional efficiencies to be found at DOT.

“I’m not saying we can do everything by managing our money better, but I think we can do part of it,” he said.

In other news, DOT officials also briefed committee members on Maine’s use of federal stimulus money. DOT officials are applying for additional stimulus money not yet awarded to the states, including:

• $25 million for a 4.3-mile connection between U.S. 1 and Route 161 in Caribou. State officials hope this will eventually be part of a north-south interstate into northern Aroostook County.

• $22 million to rehabilitate the rail lines between Calais and Perry to allow shipments to and from the port at Eastport to be put on trains.

• $7 million for a port crane with heavy lift capacity for the dry cargo pier at Mack Point in Searsport.

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Comments
19 comments on this item
On 7/7/09 at 10:18 PM, mainelyagony wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

What happened to all the stimulus money????? I thought some of it was supposed to fund infrastructure repairs and create jobs? Yeah, hit the gas tax again. Along with the rest of the taxes we already pay, why not. What did I just hear about? Something called indexed gas increases? Gasoline is always the fund raiser anytime the folks in power need cash. Why? Cuz the little guy is the one that needs it, not wants it, needs it. So, it is a sure fire way to generate money. Money to squander on this and that and then when it is gone and the roads are shot, come back to the gas pump and get some more cash. The roads where I live are hammered day and night by logging trucks. Some are so crowned that you can't stay on them in the winter unless they are salted heavy. (which my why my car is so full of holes it won't take a sticker) But I can understand this since after all, it is a 2004. Get real. I am outta this state. Between the taxes, salt, corn (ethanol) in my gas and crappy roads, this is NOT the way life should be. See ya!!

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On 7/7/09 at 10:26 PM, llep54 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

it is still bauldys fault.

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On 7/8/09 at 4:48 AM, tommycat wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

what happened to all these bond issues for bridge and road repair that gets voted in every november???

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On 7/8/09 at 5:34 AM, bosox21fan wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

MDOT = Waste of money. Time to overhaul this department and stop the wasteful spending.

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On 7/8/09 at 6:10 AM, Govt2Big wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Our "state leaders" just don't get it... we need to Cut Spending in Augusta, and stop raising taxes. Help solve this growing problem by joining us at Maine Taxpayers United. We are a grassroots organization with a good mission:

"To reduce the Maine tax burden and promote prudent government spending."

Learn more at www.MaineTaxpayers.com

and now on Facebook.

As the saying goes, "Nothing changes if nothing changes."

Well, it's time for some positive changes!

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On 7/8/09 at 6:40 AM, freedomfighter wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

We waste too much of our tax dollars on prohibition. Just remember every pot hole we hit is another child saved from evil drugs (and fireworks). It takes tax dollars to hire all these babysitters in blue.

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On 7/8/09 at 7:08 AM, Govt2Big wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Hmmmmm, I wonder if my truck will fit on that fancy new bike path which runs between Gardiner and Augusta? It sure does look like it would be smooth sailing...

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On 7/8/09 at 8:54 AM, bemused wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

“I’m not willing to spend our time this summer putting together, on a fool’s errand … a proposal that isn’t going to go anywhere,” Damon said.

Who better qualified?

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On 7/8/09 at 9:21 AM, RogerAnderson wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Stop taking the gas tax and road use tax that truckers pay and putting it in the general fund they would be money to fix the roads.

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On 7/8/09 at 10:12 AM, anonon wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

If you add up all the money that the state of maine collects in excise tax every year from everybody that owns a vehicle and how much is paid it would be astounding. I know people that are paying $600.00 to $700.00 for a new vehicle thats not includeing what people are paying for a used vehicle and this a yearly tax. I want to know where to hell all of that money is going. I think that it is pretty piss poor, if there is a way that the public can view where are tax dollars are being spent?

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On 7/8/09 at 10:27 AM, LilMikey wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Simple solution. Take the 53 Million that is a total waste of taxpayer money that is going to be used for renovating the Margaret Chase Fed building and use it on REAL infrastructure. Can you imagine how many jobs and road repairs could be done in the whole state for that much money? Of course, that is even after all that will be "appropriated" by various thieves.

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On 7/8/09 at 10:40 AM, frostheev wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Again...another democrat/liberal/statist wants, once again, to RAISE TAXES!

RAISING TAXES is their only solution to every problem!

STOP IT!...STOP IT!...STOP IT!

NEVER...EVER...elect a democrat/liberal/statist or pass their bonds!

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On 7/8/09 at 11:53 AM, SteveCB wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

How about if the legislature took Dirigo's funding and used it to fix our roads and bridges? Nah....that would be too much like prioritizing and actually representing us.

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On 7/8/09 at 1:12 PM, anonon wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

And they wonder why people are going insane and the crime rate is going up in the state of Maine.

Maybe if we didn't have so many idiots that have no knowlege on how to run a state and appropriate funds to improve nessesities,the tax payers demand to know where every cent is going and what it is being used for and if they can't provide that information, then we need to stop giveing them money untill we know where it is all going.

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On 7/8/09 at 1:45 PM, knightken69 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

The excise tax goes to local communities and helps keep your property taxes down. The problem is that Maine has to few residents who pay the gas tax and to many state roads to maintain. Taking money (the excise tax) from local governments will NOT solve the problem.

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On 7/8/09 at 3:15 PM, begformercy wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Bonds for the sheeple!

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On 7/8/09 at 3:31 PM, Novajoe wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

22 mil to put a rail from Calais to Perry? That won't even scratch it. Put that money into the road between Pembroke and Dennysville. At least it will benefit more than the dozen or so Longshoremen and the Eastport Port Authority flunkies

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On 7/8/09 at 5:27 PM, Ladyslipper wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

freedomfighter 6:40 am...you got that right.

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On 7/9/09 at 10:25 AM, buginarug2009 wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

NOW BALDACHI SHOULD B THE SUPER NICE GUY THAT HE IS AN DONATE 5 MONTHS PAY AN FIRE HIS DRIVER, FIRE HIS WIFES DRIVER THE NANNYS AN THE MAIDS AN WE CAN GET ALL THAT MONEY BACK B4 WE PAY FOR NEW FRONT ENDS ON OUR CARS, AN NEW TIRES!!!

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