Highway report sees trouble ahead

BANGOR – Officials gathered Wednesday to discuss the newly released publication “Losing Ground: A report on the state of Maine’s Highway Fund.”

“From the Depression up through the completion of the Interstate in the 1970s, Maine struggled up the hill putting in place a remarkable transportation system of highway and bridges,” said John Melrose on behalf of the Maine Better Transportation Association. Melrose is co-author of the publication.

Since then, Melrose said the state has been heading in the opposite direction.

“Nearly half of all roads under state jurisdiction, nearly 4,000 miles, have yet to be rehabilitated to modern day standards.”

Not only are roads a problem, but Melrose said, 1,048 bridges are more than 50 years old.

“We are leaving the next generation with an ever-growing burden of rebuilding a disproportionate share of our highway and bridge inventory,” he said. “The sooner we face this challenge, the easier the next trek up the hill will be.”

One bright spot in the region’s transportation funding is the federal transportation bill signed by the president last week, which includes $8 million for the new Calais bridge, Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce President, Candy Guerette said at the press conference.

Guerette credited the grant to the organization put forth by Sandy Blitz of the East-West Highway Committee.

“Losing Ground” reveals the immediate and long-term problems that face the state due to three decades of underfunding Maine’s highway system.

Some of the issues these officials hope will change are:

. Establishing a northeast economic corridor between Bangor and the Maritimes to the east, and Montreal and Toronto to the west.

. Advancing the construction of I-395 and I-95 extensions.

. Ongoing upgrades to lessen and eliminate the backlog of arterial highways that do not meet modern engineering standards.

. Developing improved transportation connections from Bangor to Bar Harbor, including the multimodal connections.

“Congested roads mean more time delivering goods to markets,” Guerette said. “Poorly maintained roads mean more damage to delivery vehicles.

“In the highly competitive marketplace Maine businesses find themselves in today, they cannot afford additional hurdles then those encountered by their competition.”

Bucksport Town Manager, Roger Raymond, discussed how the planning of the Waldo-Hancock bridge affected 40 to 50 businesses. At the peak point of construction, Raymond said, they found out the bridge couldn’t be repaired.

“What happened in Bucksport, I don’t want to happen anywhere else,” he said.

Melrose hopes that “Losing Ground” will help serve as a wake-up call.

“Today, on a statewide basis, motorists have the false sense that they will remain secure by continuing to coast along on the investments made by a generation preceding.”

For more information visit MBTA’s Web site at www.mbtaonline.org.