"Limiting Heavy Trucks On Maine Roads"

My senior colleague, Senator Olympia Snowe, and I have authored legislation that addresses a significant safety problem in our state: the federal weight-limit restriction that prevents heavy trucks from traveling on much of Interstate 95 in Maine and forces them instead onto smaller, two-lane secondary roads that pass through our cities, towns, and villages.   Senator Snowe and I have introduced legislation to lift this restriction in previous sessions of Congress.  We did so this year with a renewed sense of urgency, and in sorrow.  Less than two weeks ago, Susan Abraham, a bright and talented 17-year-old high-school student from Hampden, lost her life when her car was struck by a heavy truck on Route 9.  The truck driver could not see Susan’s small car turning onto that two-lane road as he rounded a corner.  It was an accident, but one that would have been avoided had the truck been permitted to remain on the Interstate.  I-95 runs less than three-quarters of a mile away, but federal law prevented the truck from using that modern, divided highway, a highway that was designed to provide ample views of the road ahead. That preventable tragedy took place almost one year to the day after Lena Gray, an 80-year-old resident of Bangor, was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer as she was crossing a downtown street.    Again, that accident would not have occurred had that truck been allowed to use I-95, which runs directly through Bangor. Under current law, trucks weighing 100,000 pounds are allowed to travel on the portion of I-95 designated as the Maine Turnpike, which runs from New Hampshire to Augusta, where the Turnpike designation ends, even though I-95 proceeds another 200 miles north to Houlton.  At Augusta, however, heavy trucks must exit the modern four-lane, limited-access highway and are forced onto our secondary roads.  Trucks weighing up to 100,000 pounds are permitted on interstate highways in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and New York as well as the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec.  The weight limit disparity on various segments of Maine’s Interstate Highway System is a significant impediment to commerce and increases wear-and-tear on our secondary roads.   The problem Maine faces due to the disparity in truck weight limits affects many communities, but it is clearly evident in Bangor and Brewer.  In this region, a two-mile stretch of Interstate 395 connects two major state highways that carry significant truck traffic across Maine. I-395 affords direct and safe access between these major corridors, but because of the existing federal truck weight limit, many heavy trucks are prohibited from using this modern highway. Instead, these trucks, which sometimes carry hazardous materials, are required to maneuver through the downtown portions of Bangor and Brewer on two-lane roadways, with very difficult and dangerous turns, and as many as 20 traffic lights. Congestion is a significant issue, and safety is seriously compromised as a result of these required diversions.   In June 2004, Wilbur Smiths Associates, a nationally recognized transportation consulting firm, completed a study which found that extending the current truck weight exemption on the Maine Turnpike to all interstate highways in Maine would result in a significant decrease of 3.2 fatal crashes per year!   In addition, a uniform truck weight limit of 100,000 pounds on Maine’s interstate highways would reduce highway miles, as well as the travel times necessary to transport freight through Maine, resulting in economic, safety, and environmental benefits.  Maine’s extensive network of local roads would be better preserved without the wear and tear of heavy truck traffic.   There is a homeland security aspect to this as well.  An accident or attack involving a heavy truck carrying explosive fuel or a hazardous chemical on a congested city street would have devastating consequences.  That risk can be alleviated substantially by allowing those trucks to stay on the open highway. Maine’s citizens and motorists are needlessly at risk because too many heavy trucks are forced off the interstate and onto local roads.  The Commercial Truck Highway Safety Demonstration Program Act is a commonsense solution that will ease congestion, improve commerce, reduce road maintenance costs, and, most important, save lives. ####