"I am delighted that my colleagues on the Senate Appropriations Committee recognize that the weight limit disparity on various segments of Maine's Interstate Highway System is a significant impediment to commerce, increases wear-and-tear on our secondary roads, and, most important, puts our residents needlessly at risk," said Senator Collins, who is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. "A pilot project keeping these heavy trucks on the Interstates, which are designed to carry more weight than the rural roads, would permit an assessment of the impact of safety, commerce, and road wear and tear."
In 1994, the U.S. Department of Transportation first notified the State of Maine that it was in violation of federal vehicle weight requirements. Maine's Congressional delegation has been working since then to change the law, which forces northbound trucks weighing more than 80,000 pounds off Interstate 95 in Augusta. As a result, heavy trucks traveling I-95 to Houlton are forced onto smaller, secondary roads that pass through cities, towns, and villages, creating safety concerns.
In June, following an Appropriations hearing during which U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood pledged that he would help address this issue, Senator Collins, who is the only Maine delegation member to serve on the powerful Appropriations Committee, wrote to her colleagues requesting that a one-year pilot project be included in the FY 2010 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill.
The full Senate Appropriations Committee is now scheduled to consider the FY 2010 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill on Thursday. The bill must still be considered by the full Senate.