Transportation alternatives

The campaign this fall to widen a 30-mile stretch of the Maine Turnpike seemed less like a race than a foregone conclusion. While approximately 60 percent of voters agreed with turnpike officials that the two-lane highway needed another lane, voters might also consider the second half of the authority’s recommendation: that along with a wider highway, the state needs highway-transportation alternatives.

There’s no need to review Maine’s dependence on the automobile. It is difficult to find a public place in the state that does not in some way accommodate auto traffic. Pavement, here as with just about everywhere else, may be the defining element of a settled community. The public embrace of the automobile has had a profound impact on where people live, work and recreate. One question that opponents to the widening asked was whether there were better alternatives.

On the highway stretch, the answer was no — the crunch of traffic had progressed too far. In other places, however, alternatives may find some success. John Melrose, the commissioner of the Department of Transportation, recently has been describing a plan to integrate different forms of transportation into a coherent network. Bangor and Portland, under the plan, would be designated “gateway intermodal hubs” that might offer improved rail, air and ferry service. Portland, Boothbay Harbor and Eastport could be linked by high-speed ferry, while inland communities would rely more often on motor coaches.

Add to this the long-promised Amtrak train from Boston to Portland and the ability of communities to better direct local development and drivers may begin to see some workable options for themselves.

Transportation alternatives will not replace the car, but they may help keep pressure off a road so that it does not require an expensive upgrade, and they could contribute to a reduction in air pollution. These alternatives could be particularly important in Southern Maine, where traffic tie-ups are not limited to the turnpike.

Finding affordable transportation options is difficult in a rural state. Commissioner Melrose points out that that many components of his plan already are in place. That’s good news, but when balancing alternatives vs. more pavement, the state needs to look beyond simply saving money. A cleaner, safer, less polluting transportation network may require tax support. Voters this week said OK to $60 million in costs to widen the turnpike; they should be willing to spend similar amounts in the future to avoid adding pavement.