The President today signed the Fiscal Year 2010 Transportation Appropriations bill. This legislation includes a provision, authored by Senator Susan Collins, to create a one-year pilot project to exempt Maine's federal highways from the 80,000 pound federal truck weight limit. This will move heavy trucks off Maine's secondary roads and onto the state's federal highways for one year, during which a study of the impact of safety, commerce and road wear and tear would be conducted.
Maine's Congressional delegation has been working on this issue since 1994 when the U.S. Department of Transportation first notified the State of Maine that it was in violation of federal vehicle weight requirements.
As a result, northbound trucks weighing more than 80,000 pounds are forced off Interstate 95 in Augusta. Maine State law already allows these heavier trucks to travel on smaller, secondary roads that pass through cities, towns, and villages, creating safety concerns.
In June 2004, Wilbur Smith 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 federal highways in Maine, including Interstates 195, 295 and 395 would reduce heavy truck traffic through several communities such as Saco, Old Orchard Beach, Freeport, and Bangor and Brewer, and result in a significant decrease of three fatal crashes per year.
Earlier this year, Senator Collins was appointed to a seat on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee. During a hearing, Senator Collins raised the issue of Maine's truck weight disparity with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood who pledged to help address this issue. Senator Collins then continued to work with her colleagues on the Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee to have her provision included in the FY 2010 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill.
Unfortunately, the original House-passed Transportation Appropriations bill did not contain any language at all on the truck weights pilot for Maine. Despite heavy opposition, Senator Collins fought hard and was successful in having her provision included in the final version of the appropriations bill. Senator Collins served on the conference committee that reconciled the differences between the Senate and House versions of the bill.
"Increasing the federal highway truck weight limit on Maine's interstate highways has always been one of my top priorities in the Senate," said Senator Collins. "A one-year pilot project allowing heavier trucks on Maine's federal highways will permit an assessment of the impact of the safety, commerce and road wear and tear. It will now be up to members of the House and Senate Transportation Committees to work to make this provision permanent."
Senator Collins' provision is supported by several public safety and business groups including the Maine Department of Public Safety, the Maine State Police, the Maine Troopers Associations, and the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce.
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