AUGUSTA - MaineDOT Commissioner Bruce Van Note issued the following statement in response to Governor Mills's State of the State Address:
"On behalf of the all Maine travelers and the hardworking men and women of the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT), I applaud Governor Mills for her support of transportation and the work of the Blue Ribbon Commission to Recommend Transportation Funding Solutions. The Governor, the Commission, and all policymakers understand that transportation is fundamental to our safety, economic prosperity, and quality of life and that we need to come together to find nonpartisan solutions to our chronic underfunding challenge. Finding adequate and sustainable funding for transportation will take multiple strategies, and the Governor's openness to using General Fund dollars will help move the conversation forward.
"It is a conversation that needs to happen. Not only do we need to maintain the system we have, but we also need to improve the system. We need to make targeted capacity improvements, reduce the impact of transportation on climate, improve downtowns and villages, increase municipal support, and gradually reduce our dependence upon bonding and extraordinary federal funding to meet basic needs. We thank the Governor for her leadership and look forward to getting this done."
Background: Last year, the Legislature passed and the Governor signed a bill to create a Blue Ribbon Commission To Study and Recommend Funding Solutions for the State's Transportation Systems. The Commission has estimated the annual unmet funding need at MaineDOT is $232 million. Commission members have asked to continue working this year with the goal of identifying a nonpartisan and sustainable solution to MaineDOT's chronic funding problem.