In an unprecedented move, the Maine Department of Transportation has announced it will award a five-year, $3.8 million bridge operation contract to an out-of-state company. This decision is raising concerns among residents and policymakers, which could have been addressed transparently. Instead, the flawed process used to reach the decision has left our questions unanswered.
The department revealed last week that it will award Miami, Florida-based FDI Services Inc. the multi-million dollar contract to operate and maintain the Casco Bay Bridge, which crosses the Fore River to connect Portland and South Portland.
As the state agency responsible for our roads and bridges, the department’s mission is to ensure Maine’s transportation system is safe and reliable. Outsourcing the operation of the state’s largest movable bridge to an out-of-state company is a move in the wrong direction.
The Casco Bay Bridge carries more than 30,000 vehicles a day. It also opens several times a day on average to allow for the passage of both commercial and recreational marine traffic that represents millions of dollars of commerce for our state. As a heavily traveled part of our transportation network, it’s a critical asset to Maine people and our economy.
The roughly 10 workers responsible for the bridge’s operations have an exceptional record of protecting the public, responding to emergencies and maintaining the bridge’s safety and reliability. Turning operations over to a profit-driven, out-of-state company is a first-of-its-kind move that puts these workers’ jobs and the bridge’s outstanding record at risk.
State government has the responsibility to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars. In fact, state law requires that an agency must demonstrate that a proposed contract will result in overall cost savings to the state. In this case, however, the contract won’t change the amount spent on bridge operations. The move jeopardizes Maine jobs, public safety and taxpayer dollars without even creating savings.
The department says the move will free up resources to focus on other transportation priorities, but how can that be if the change won’t save the state money? Even as the plan moves forward, the answer is unclear.
Beyond these concerns, the department’s decision was reached without the involvement of state lawmakers and the general public. Before making such a drastic change, it should have ensured Mainers’ best interests were being served by working with the Legislature’s Transportation Committee, on which I serve, to gather public input and fully consider our constituents’ concerns.
The state has never before outsourced bridge operations, and the decision to do so with the Casco Bay Bridge could set a precedent that leads to the outsourcing of other operations. Even so, our committee was not briefed and the public was not a part of making the decision.
Because of the lack of transparency in the decision-making process, too many questions are left unanswered. How will the department oversee the company’s operations to ensure public safety? Will the company be held accountable if it fails to live up to the high standards that state employees have achieved?
The people of Maine are relying on Casco Bay Bridge’s operators to get them safely to school and work. Our businesses need them to reliably facilitate the movement of goods by land and by water. We expect them to respond to emergency situations swiftly and effectively. With all that responsibility, surely questions and concerns about such a drastic overhaul of the way the bridge is operated deserve the department’s attention.
As a member of the Transportation Committee, I’ll be working with the department and my colleagues over the coming weeks to seek answers to these questions and concerns. I’m disappointed, however, that the administration has chosen to move forward before that happens.
Rep. Arthur “Archie” Verow, D-Brewer, is serving his second term in the Maine House. He is a member of the Transportation Committee and represents the majority of Brewer.