FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, October 1, 2024
Contact:
Rocky Moretti (202) 262-0714
Carolyn Bonifas Kelly (703) 801-9212
Click here for the full report, news conference recording, infographics and video interview footage with report authors.
BANGOR MOTORISTS LOSE NEARLY $1,900 PER YEAR ON ROADS THAT ARE ROUGH, CONGESTED & LACK SAFETY FEATURES; INCREASED STATE & FEDERAL FUNDS HAVE ALLOWED MAINE TO ENHANCE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM, BUT PREDICTABLE, SUSTAINED TRANSPORTATION FUNDING IS NEEDED
Bangor, ME – State and federal transportation funding increases have allowed Maine to move forward with projects to improve the condition, reliability and safety of the state’s transportation system.
However, Maine continues to face significant transportation challenges. In order to continue to make needed improvements, the state will require continued, sustained and predictable funding to invest in Maine’s infrastructure, rather than relying on a return to one-time or shorter-term funding infusions.
Roads and bridges that are deteriorated, congested or lack some desirable safety features cost Maine motorists a total of $1.6 billion statewide annually – $1,824 per driver in the Bangor area – due to higher vehicle operating costs, traffic crashes and congestion-related delays. Increased investment in transportation improvements at the local, state and federal levels could relieve traffic congestion, improve road, bridge and transit conditions, boost safety, and support long-term economic growth in Maine, according to a new report released today by TRIP, a Washington, DC based national transportation research nonprofit.
The TRIP report, “Keeping Maine Mobile: Providing a Modern, Sustainable Transportation System in the Pine Tree State,” finds that throughout Maine, 19 percent of major locally and state-maintained roads are in poor condition, 15 percent of locally and state-maintained bridges (20 feet or more in length) are rated poor/structurally deficient, and 792 people lost their lives on the state’s roads from 2019-2023. Maine’ major urban roads are congested, causing significant delays and choking commuting and commerce. The TRIP report includes statewide and regional pavement and bridge conditions, congestion data, highway safety data, and cost breakdowns for the Bangor, Lewiston-Auburn and Portland areas.
Driving on roads in the Bangor urban area costs the average driver $1,824 per year in the form of extra vehicle operating costs (VOC) as a result of driving on roads in need of repair, lost time and fuel due to congestion-related delays, and the costs of traffic crashes in which the lack of adequate roadway safety features, while not the primary factor, likely were a contributing factor. A breakdown of the costs per motorist in the state’s largest urban areas, along with a statewide total, is below.
The TRIP report finds that 18 percent of major locally and state-maintained roads in the Bangor urban area are in poor condition and 27 percent are in fair condition, costing the average motorist an additional $521 each year in extra vehicle operating costs, including accelerated vehicle depreciation, additional repair costs, and increased fuel consumption and tire wear. Statewide, 19 percent of Maine’s major roads are in poor condition and 35 percent are in fair condition.
In the Bangor urban area, 18 percent of bridges are rated poor/structurally deficient, with significant deterioration to the bridge deck, supports or other major components. Statewide, 15 percent of Maine’s bridges are rated poor/structurally deficient – the fourth highest share in the nation.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, vehicle travel in Maine dropped by as much as 40 percent in April 2020 compared to vehicle travel during the same month the previous year. By 2023, vehicle miles of travel (VMT) in Maine had rebounded to one percent above pre-pandemic levels in 2019. Congested roads choke commuting and commerce and cost Maine drivers $300 million each year in the form of lost time and wasted fuel. Traffic congestion in the Bangor urban area causes 28 annual hours of delay for the average motorist and costs the average driver $739 annually in lost time and wasted fuel.
Traffic crashes in Maine claimed the lives 792 people between 2019 and 2023. Maine’s overall traffic fatality rate of 0.89 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles of travel in 2022 is lower than the national average of 1.26. The fatality rate on Maine’s non-Interstate rural roads in 2022 was more than three times that on all other roads in the state (1.80 per 100 million vehicle miles of travel vs. 0.57). Traffic crashes imposed a total of $1.9 billion in economic costs in Maine in 2023; traffic crashes in which a lack of adequate roadway safety features, while not the primary factor, were likely a contributing factor, imposed $641 million in economic costs.
Improvements to Maine’s roads, highways and bridges are funded by local, state and federal governments. Since 2018 Maine has invested $6.8 billion in highway and bridge improvements, including improvements to 6,200 highway miles with another 4,420 miles underway, and repairs to 366 bridges with active plans to repair another 289 bridges. Maine has also completed $155.8 million in bridge and rail line improvements on its railroad system, with another $69.5 million in improvements underway. And the state has invested $30.7 million in port improvements at the International Marine Terminal in Portland, with $12.3 million in additional investments underway. This investment will also allow the state to make various safety, mobility and bike/pedestrian improvements, in addition to improving rail lines and port improvements at the Portland International Marine Terminal.
“Ensuring the safety and efficiency of our roads and bridges is not only about maintaining infrastructure, but also about protecting our community’s quality of life,” said Mary Ann Brenchick, deputy public works director for the City of Augusta. “We know that well-maintained roads are critical for daily commutes, local businesses, and families. However, balancing limited funding with rising construction costs requires strategic thinking and resource management. To meet the expectations of our constituents, local governments must not only secure adequate funding but also implement innovative solutions to manage and allocate resources effectively. By addressing both immediate fixes and long-term investments, municipalities can ensure safe and reliable transportation for all residents, enhancing overall community well-being.”
Nearly $7 billion in investment by the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) since 2018 has been vital in addressing the state’s need to preserve roads and bridges, improve traffic safety and improve reliability for personal and commercial travel. In the state’s FY 2024-25 budget, agencies supported by highway funds received an additional $165 million per year, which represents a significant step forward in providing sustainable and predictable funding that will allow MaineDOT to plan and implement needed improvements to the transportation infrastructure.
However, Maine continues to face significant transportation challenges. In order to continue to make needed improvements, the state will require continued, sustained and predictable funding to invest in Maine’s infrastructure, rather than relying on a return to one-time or shorter-term funding infusions.
In addition to state transportation funding, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), signed into law on November 2021, will provide $1.3 billion in federal funds to the state for highway and bridge investments in Maine over five years, representing a 29 percent increase in annual federal funding for roads and bridges in the state over the previous federal surface transportation program.
“I am glad to know that Maine’s transportation needs are well documented in this new report,” said Gardiner Mayor Patricia Hart. “As a busy service center, Gardiner relies on state and federal investments in our roads and bridges to support safe travel in and out of the city. With all the pressures on local property taxes, we are grateful to work with federal and state partners to modernize bridge structures and resurface key roads.”
The ability of revenue from Maine’s and the federal motor fuel tax — as well as other sources of state and federal transportation funding — to keep pace with Maine’s future transportation needs is likely to erode as a result of increasing vehicle fuel efficiency, the increasing use of electric vehicles and inflation in highway construction costs. The Federal Highway Administration’s national highway construction cost index, which measures labor and materials cost, increased by 43 percent in 2022 and 2023 and by 68 percent since the beginning of 2021.
“Additional state and federal funding has allowed Maine to move forward with needed improvements to its transportation network to make the state’s roads and bridges smoother, safer and more efficient while boosting the economy and creating jobs,” said Dave Kearby, TRIP’s executive director. “While those improvements have been helpful, the state continues to face transportation challenges and it will be critical that sufficient, sustained transportation funding is available to address these challenges.”