Baldacci watching interstate toll trial

LEWISTON – If an experiment to reduce traffic tieups at New Hampshire’s southbound tollbooths proves workable, Maine officials may try to duplicate its success.

Maine Gov. John Baldacci has asked transportation officials to determine whether the state could collect tolls in only one direction without losing revenue.

New Hampshire has eliminated southbound toll collection on Interstate 95 on a trial basis, while doubling the northbound toll from $1 to $2. The change has significantly reduced southbound traffic delays as tourists leave Maine and New Hampshire on weekends.

“People are very interested in seeing how successful that would be,” said Lee Umphrey, spokesman for Baldacci. “The governor immediately wanted to talk to the Maine Department of Transportation to look into the feasibility for Maine. He’s very interested in it.”

Greg Nadeau, spokesman for the Maine Department of Transportation, said the turnpike is not under Baldacci’s jurisdiction, but the Maine Turnpike Authority is exploring the idea. “They’ll gather all the data they can from New Hampshire. The MTA has assured the governor they will perform that analysis,” Nadeau said.

Maine is most interested in determining whether New Hampshire will lose money.

Motorists could avoid the northbound toll in New Hampshire by getting off I-95 and using local roads. If that happened, there also would be safety concerns, as well as lost revenue.

The Maine Turnpike Authority cannot afford to lose money with any new system, said spokesman Conrad Welzel.

Welzel cautioned about differences between New Hampshire and Maine that make it easier for New Hampshire to eliminate a toll.