Maine to get $1.1B in highway bill

WASHINGTON – Congress has approved a comprehensive, six-year, highway spending bill which will provide $1.1 billion to Maine over the six-year life of the legislation, representing a 30 percent annual increase over the last highway bill, according to members of the state’s congressional delegation.

“A safe, reliable, and up-to-date transportation infrastructure is a critical component of economic development. It is imperative that we spend the resources necessary to ensure that those who live in and visit Maine are traveling on roads, bridges and highways that are as safe as possible,” said Sens. Snowe and Collins in a joint statement.

Rep. Michael Michaud, a member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, said, “Federal transportation funding already generates approximately 10,000 jobs in our state and the added funding in this bill should help us add even more jobs as we work to improve our infrastructure and keep Maine’s roadways safe.”

According to the delegation, the highway spending bill includes:

. $3 million for planning and improving north-south highways in Aroostook County

. $11 million for replacement of the Waldo-Hancock Bridge

. $7 million for Calais border crossing project

. $1 million to plan and construct better highway access between Route 161 in Daigle to U.S. Route 1 in Madawaska

. $2.8 million for the Penobscot Riverfront Development project for bicycle trails, amenities, and traffic circulation improvements in Bangor

. $1 million to construct a bicycle and pedestrian bridge over the Stillwater River in Orono

. $4 million for general construction plus multiuse trail and snowmobile accommodations for the Route 116 Bridge in Medway

. $1.5 million for relocation of the southbound on-ramp to I-95 at exit 184 in Bangor to improve safety

. $250,800 to purchase new buses to improve commuting to the Jackson labs in Bar Harbor