COLLINS HELPS TO KEEP HEAVY TRUCK TRAFFIC OUT OF DOWNTOWN AUGUSTA

Washington, D.C. -- Senator Collins announced today that the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) have come to a preliminary agreement that will help to keep heavy tractor trailer traffic out of downtown Augusta. The deal was announced during a meeting in Senator Collins' office on Capitol Hill today. FHWA has cleared the way for MDOT and the Maine Turnpike Authority to develop a proposal to extend what is considered the Maine Turnpike for three more miles north on Interstate 95, past the existing Augusta toll booth. This would allow heavy trucks to remain on the highway to travel past Augusta without having to take local roads.

"This is a significant first step in our efforts to make our local roads safer by keeping heavy trucks out of our downtowns and residential communities," said Senator Collins. "Augusta has long been a glaring example of the dangerous burden that current truck weight limits put on our local communities. The high number of trucks that must traverse Augusta''s local roads, including Cony Circle, which is one of the state's most dangerous traffic circles, create a hazard for those who live and work in as well as visit the city."

Under current law, trucks weighing as much as 100,000 pounds are allowed to travel on the Maine Turpike from Maine's border with New Hampshire to Augusta. At Augusta, trucks weighing more than 80,000 pounds are forced off Interstate 95 and are forced onto smaller, secondary roads. The Maine Department of Transportation estimates that the truck weight disparity sends 310 vehicles in excess of 80,000 pounds through Augusta every day.

"Residents and local business owners along the interstates up and down Maine, including in Augusta, have indicated to me what an important issue this is to their communities," said Senator Collins. "I am pleased that federal and state transportation officials are recognizing how important this issue is to the people of our state and how much of a difference it will make for road safety. I continue to press forward with efforts to increase the truck weight limits on all interstate highways in Maine so that heavy tractor trailers stay on the highways and out of our neighborhoods."

Senator Collins and Senator Olympia Snowe continue to push legislation that they authored, that would direct the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to establish a commercial truck safety pilot program in Maine. Under the pilot program, the truck weight limit on all Maine highways that are part of the interstate highway system would be set at 100,000 pounds for three years. During that period, the Secretary would study the impact of the pilot program on safety, and would receive the input of a panel that would include State officials, safety organizations, municipalities, and the commercial trucking industry. The uniform weight limit would become permanent if the panel determined that motorists were safer as a result.