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Making Real Progress: MaineDOT's New Three-Year Work Plan [ [link removed] ] 01/18/2024 10:00 AM EST
AUGUSTA - Today, the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) released the 2024 Edition of its three-year Work Plan. It includes all capital projects and programs, maintenance and operations activities, planning initiatives, and administrative functions for calendar years 2024, 2025, and 2026.

MaineDOT's Work Plan is the primary way the department delivers on its mission: to support economic opportunity and quality of life by responsibly providing our customers with the safest and most reliable transportation system possible, given available resources.

This Work Plan contains 2,672 individual work items with a total value of $4.74 billion. This reflects increased infrastructure investments at both the federal and state levels.

"We are grateful that policymakers came together, recognized the benefits of infrastructure investments, and worked in a bipartisan way to deliver significant steps forward for transportation," said MaineDOT Commissioner Bruce Van Note. "This will help MaineDOT continue a pivot from making do to making real progress."

At the federal level, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) passed in November 2021 has allowed MaineDOT to compete for special funding in the form of competitive discretionary grant programs and Congressionally Directed Spending. With thoughtful grant applications and the continued support of our Congressional delegation, federal transportation funding coming to Maine should more than double from pre-BIL levels.

At the state level, Governor Mills and lawmakers unanimously supported a state Highway Fund budget in June 2023 that took a significant step toward addressing the chronic underfunding of transportation. These expanded and new ongoing funding sources could not have come at a better time, given reduced fuel tax revenue projections, opportunities to use state funding to increase federal funding, and the need for state-funded capital projects.

"Transportation will always be a big job in Maine, and challenges will always exist, but now is the time for MaineDOT and its partners to ramp up and deliver," continued Van Note. "We can make a real difference with this Work Plan. That is both invigorating and uplifting."

This Work Plan includes more bridge projects, more durable highway projects, more village and downtown projects, more transit and active transportation investments, more port improvements, and more adaptation to climate impacts.

"We look forward to continuing to work with our partners at MaineDOT to keep delivering projects that improve economic opportunity and quality of life for the people of our great state," said Kelly Flagg, Executive Director of Associated General Contractors of Maine. "AGC is preparing to meet the demand for increased production by investing in workforce development through the creation and expansion of the Maine Construction Academy. This programming, which includes pre-apprenticeship, apprenticeship, and incumbent workforce up-skilling, will support growth of the construction and transportation workforce both now and into the future." This Work Plan continues to advance Maine's efforts to combat the impacts of climate change. MaineDOT aims to lead by example by supporting data-driven and practical actions to both reduce emissions in the transportation sector and increase the resiliency of infrastructure across the state.

"Recent storms in Maine and beyond have caused devastation in so many communities, a stark reminder of why we need to make transportation stronger and more resilient," said Maria Fuentes, Executive Director of the Maine Better Transportation Association (MBTA). "MBTA is hopeful that any increase in funding will translate into more investments for more durable infrastructure - more rebuilding and reconstruction of roads, bridges, tracks, culverts, and other needs. No longer can we rely on 'patch and pray;' the state needs to make significant investments in our aging infrastructure to meet the needs of today and the future or risk the peril of falling too far behind."

The availability of discretionary federal funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has been a game-changer for transportation funding in Maine. This Work Plan contains more than $1 billion in funding from U.S. Department of Transportation competitive grant programs and Congressionally Directed Spending awards. Many of the major projects in MaineDOT's Work Plan involve these special funding sources. They include:
* Reconstruction of Route 1 between Frenchville and Fort Kent - recipient of a $27.7-million Rural Surface Transportation (Rural) Grant.
* Safety and mobility improvements throughout North Windham - recipient of a $31.2-million Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant.
* Strategic deployment of publicly accessible electric vehicle charging infrastructure throughout the state - recipient of a $15-million Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Program Grant.
* Improvements to culverts and fish passage in Downeast Maine, Central Maine, and the Sandy River Watershed - recipient of a $27-million Culvert Aquatic Organism Passage (Culvert AOP) Grant.
* Upgrades to the St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad between Lewison and Bethel - recipient of a $19.5-million Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Grant.
* The design and construction of a hybrid ferry that will carry passengers and vehicles between Lincolnville and Islesboro - recipient of a $28-million Electric or Low-Emitting Ferry Pilot Program Grant.
* Improvements to Portland's International Marine Terminal - recipient of a $17.8-million Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) Grant.
This Work Plan continues to invest in Maine's iconic downtown and village areas. Launched in 2022, MaineDOT's Village Partnership Initiative focuses on improving lower-speed areas where people meet, walk, shop, and do business. Partnerships between MaineDOT and municipalities aim to leverage special federal funding to support placemaking projects.

"The Town of Fort Kent is successfully working with the Maine Department of Transportation on an exciting and transformative Village Partnership Initiative project to make some necessary changes within our downtown," said Suzie Paradis, Fort Kent Town Manager. "This work will help revitalize the downtown district areas, improve the quality of life for the town's residents, attract more visitors, and support small businesses."

The largest and most heavily used component of Maine's transportation system is its vast network of state highways and bridges. Accordingly, this Work Plan invests more than $3 billion in this aspect of our system. These investments include:
* $846.2 million for 267 bridge projects.
* $684 million for 285 miles of highway construction and rehabilitation.
* $678 million for 1,348 miles of preservation paving.
* $618 million for highway and bridge maintenance and operations work.
Beyond Maine's roads and bridges, this Work Plan includes:
* $235.4 million in transit investments.
* $220 million for aviation.
* $204.8 million for capital freight projects.
* $165.5 million for capital projects to support the development of ports and marine infrastructure.
* $127.1 million in support of ferry projects.
* $68 million in stand-alone investments for active transportation (walking, cycling, etc.)
* $52.1 million for Amtrak Downeaster operations.
View and search the 2024 Edition of the MaineDOT Work Plan by visiting www.mainedot.gov, where you will also find an interactive, media-rich story map. body { font-size: 1em; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; color: #333333; } ________________________________________________________________________

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