BANGOR, Maine — In a recent survey, the Maine Better Transportation Association found Mainers spent $263 million on auto repairs made necessary by bad roads.
Contrast that number, former Maine Department of Transportation Commissioner David Melrose said Thursday, with the proposed $250 million Maine DOT budget next year, and the budget assumption of $350,000 for capital improvements to roads and bridges.
“It’s not enough to build, rebuild, even 1 mile of federal aid road,” said Melrose, now a senior policy adviser for the Maine Better Transportation Association. “Ask yourselves: Are we digging ourselves out of the hole or are we digging in a little deeper?”
Melrose was the guest Thursday morning at Husson University’s Business Breakfast Series in Dickerman Dining Commons. His talk, “Maine’s Transportation Future,” didn’t paint a pretty picture of what will become of the state’s roads and bridges if something isn’t done.
Roads and bridges are aging, as is the pavement covering them. The weaker the pavement and the narrower the road, the more dangerous conditions become for drivers.
“Today, a Maine motorist is more than twice as likely to drive on a unsafe, poorly designed federal aid road than motorists in the rest of New England or the nation,” he said. “I have always believed that the motorists will pay one way or another. For myself, I’d rather pay a sufficient user fee and avoid surcharges for injury, auto repairs or congestion delay.”
Melrose also discussed gasoline taxes, which haven’t moved much in the last 20 years. He cited a system being tested in Oregon in which a fee is charged based on miles traveled rather than a tax on gasoline, but he said increased gas taxes should be an option to grow funds for road repair.
Key transportation issues in the Bangor area, and in eastern and northern Maine, include the aging Bangor Area Transportation system, which Melrose said is getting four new buses thanks to the money coming to the state through the economic stimulus, the need to modernize some of the offramps and on-ramps for Interstate 95, the possibility of bypasses around Presque Isle and Caribou to keep trucks out of busy downtowns, an east-west highway in Maine, and the extension of Interstate 395 to Route 9.
Another statewide issue is truck weights, which in Maine means heavy trucks often are forced into towns because of weight limits on the interstate. Melrose said the state’s congressional delegation is well aware of the problem.
“I think we’ll see some movement on that,” he said.
Melrose argued against two current legislative efforts, including one that seeks to reduce the vehicle excise tax. It’s a bad idea, he said, because it would reduce tax on newer cars, and Mainers tend to drive older cars, which means two-thirds of Maine drivers wouldn’t benefit from an excise tax reduction. Meanwhile, the community would have fewer funds to repair roads and bridges used by all those older cars.
Melrose said Maine has plenty going for it in terms of transportation, including the BAT system, the railway and bus systems, and high potential in the state’s ports.
“I’ve long felt that port development in Eastport, Searsport and Portland is vital not only in building our maritime trade but also to the revival of our rail carriers,” Melrose said. “Our opportunities are great.”