$641M in road projects urged Report: Mainers have ‘rough ride’

BANGOR – Maine roads are in need of work – $641 million worth before 2008 – according to a report released Thursday by TRIP. The nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., researches, evaluates and distributes economic and technical data on highway transportation issues throughout the country.

The report for Maine contains data that TRIP gathered from the state’s Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration, Paul Haaland of TRIP explained Thursday.

The organization was founded in 1971 and is sponsored by insurance companies, equipment manufacturers, distributors and suppliers, as well as businesses involved in highway engineering, construction and finance, labor unions, and organizations concerned with an efficient and safe highway transportation network.

“Nearly one-third, 31 percent, of major roads in Maine, maintained by state and local governments, are in poor and mediocre condition, providing motorists with a rough ride,” the report states.

The majority of the roads and bridges needing work are located in the southern and western portions of the state, but some projects are needed in central, Down East, and northern regions, according to the document.

“A desirable goal for state and local organizations that are responsible for road maintenance is to have 75 percent of major roads in good condition,” the report says. “Only 49 percent of Maine’s major roads are in good conditions.”

Lack of regular maintenance and upgrades, primarily due to a funding shortage, is a major issue for the state’s roads.

“What you’re seeing is a lot of the states – and I think Maine shares this – need to do regular maintenance on their roads and bridges,” Haaland said.

While Maine doesn’t have the traffic congestion on its roads that many other states do, “seasonal bottlenecks,” particularly in Portland and Down East, occur when vacationers head to popular summer destinations such as Acadia National Park.

U.S. Route 1A in Holden and U.S. Route 1 in Ellsworth are listed among the top 10 congested state roads in the report.

“The issue of modernization is an ongoing one in Maine,” Haaland said.

In addition to identifying key road safety and maintenance issues, TRIP also aims to educate the public about road safety.

“One of the issues is rural safety, as well as the condition of bridges and roadways around the state,” Haaland said. “Our data shows it’s four times as likely [for motorists] to be killed on rural roads in Maine than other roads.”

Each year, nearly 200 people die in motor vehicle accidents in Maine, with 978 people killed in traffic accidents between 2000 and 2004, according to the report. Of those, 81 percent occurred on rural, noninterstate routes.

Not only is safety an issue, but also transportation as it relates to economic growth. Improving access to Aroostook County, as well as the Canadian border crossing in Calais, is listed as critical to economic growth in the state.

“Regular road and bridge maintenance and improvements are critical to Maine’s future mobility, safety and economic growth,” William Wilkins, TRIP’s executive director, said Thursday in a press release. “Maine’s economy literally rides on its highway system.”