The Lifeblood Of Economic Development

When Mainers travel each day along our roads and highways and over our many bridges, few stop to think about how important the transportation infrastructure is to our state and overall economy. We have come to expect, as we should, that the roads and highways on which we travel will be as safe as possible to enable us to reach our destination in a safe and reasonable amount of time. We also expect our bridges to be sound and built with the most up-to-date technology.

Maine has a population of 1.3 million people, spread out across roughly 34,000 square miles. Our state has, by far, the lowest population density in all of New England. Consequently, continuing to improve and upgrade our roads, highways, and bridges is essential to our state's prosperity. Moreover, the expansion and improvement of our transportation system are vital to increasing job opportunities for all the citizens of our state.

Improving our transportation infrastructure is a critical issue not only in Maine, but also nationwide. Our transportation system is the lifeblood of economic development and the catalyst for thousands of good jobs. Our transportation system also affects our competitiveness in both national and global markets. For our economy to prosper, we need an integrated modern transportation system that realizes the goal of cost-effective and efficient modes of transportation.

The responsibility for strengthening and maintaining Maine's transportation infrastructure lies with both the state and federal government. Last week, President Bush signed the transportation funding bill, which recently was approved overwhelmingly by Congress. This legislation, which I supported, will go a long way in helping to strengthen our transportation infrastructure in Maine and throughout the nation over the next five years.

The highway bill, for example, will provide roughly $1.1 billion to Maine over the next several years. This represents a 30 percent annual increase over the last highway bill. In addition, the legislation included millions of dollars for important transportation projects in Maine, which I worked with Senator Snowe to include in the final bill.

The highway bill will provide $33 million for the Aroostook County North-South Highway. As a native of the County, I understand how important it is to construct the North-South Highway, a modern, limited-access highway through Aroostook County. This is a project that has been planned for more than 20 years.

Northern Maine desperately needs the transportation and safety improvements such a highway will bring, and this has been one of my top transportation priorities since being elected to the Senate. These dollars will enable the State of Maine to continue moving this vitally important project forward to the construction phase.

I also believe that the East-West Highway, running through eastern, central, and western Maine to Quebec and northern New York, would significantly boost economic growth and development throughout the entire region. I urged my colleagues in Congress to include $18 million for this highway project.

Maine, like other northeastern states, faces an aging transportation infrastructure. It requires maintenance, rehabilitation, and in some cases, outright replacement. Perhaps the most urgent example of this problem is the Waldo-Hancock Bridge, which carries U.S. Route 1 over the Penobscot River south of Bangor, and acts as the gateway to Downeast Maine, one of the state's most widely traveled regions during the summer months. Furthermore, the nearest alternative for crossing the Penobscot River is some 20 miles away in Bangor, and any interruption in service would thus require a detour of at least 40 miles. The condition of this bridge has declined steadily for a number of years, and despite efforts by the State to rehabilitate the existing structure, the bridge must be replaced. The highway bill provides $31 million dollars in order to offer the much- needed assistance required to help complete this important replacement project. In addition, the Calais border bridge will receive $12 million under the bill.

The highway bill also provides $15.8 million for I-295 capacity enhancements and improvements in southern Maine. As one of the most heavily traveled highways in Maine, it is crucial to ensure that I-295 has the ability to continue to handle its high volume of traffic.

A few additional highlights of the bill are $7 million for the Augusta Memorial Bridge; $15.7 million for the Gorham Bypass; $9 million for the Norridgewock Covered Bridge; $16 million for Deer Isle Segewick Bridge; $4 million for the Acadia Intermodal Facility; $6.36 million for Lewiston-Auburn Circulation Improvements; and $1.5 million for improvements and construction of U.S. Route 1A and State Route 9 in Bangor.

These resources will help ensure that those of us who live in Maine and rely on our highways and byways daily, as well as those who visit our beautiful state, have access to a transportation infrastructure that is convenient and safe. For our economy to prosper, our transportation system must meet the needs of citizens and commerce as we move forward in the 21st Century. This new highway law goes a long way in helping meet this goal.

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