The Maine Department of Transportation today released its $764.6 million Capital Work Plan for fiscal years 2012-13. This work plan contains MaineDOT?s strategy to invest projected capital transportation funding into the design, construction and maintenance of the state?s transportation infrastructure. An electronic, searchable version of the work plan can be found at www.mainedot.gov.
?Maine?s Transportation Infrastructure is the backbone to the state?s economy. An efficient, safe, reliable transportation system that moves people and goods is essential to growing the state?s businesses and its economy,? said MaineDOT Commissioner David Bernhardt at a press conference earlier today.
This plan includes $688.7 million for highways and bridges and $75.9 million in capital multimodal projects including aviation, industrial rail access, small harbors, transit, and pedestrian facilities.
The proposed work plan contains 34 bridge replacements, 53 bridge rehabilitations or other bridge improvements, 63 miles of highway reconstruction, 480 miles of pavement preservation and rehabilitation designed to last more than ten years, and 1,200 miles of light capital paving that preserves roadways for 6-8 years.
?Although total capital investment is slightly less than the current biennium, the work plan maintains core programs, leverages all anticipated federal funding, and will keep our existing transportation system serviceable for this biennium,? said Bernhardt.
The entire document is nearly 200 pages in length, and lists transportation projects that MaineDOT expects to complete if the current level of state, federal and other sources of funding remains stable. Approximately 57% of this projected capital funding is federal, about 40% is state, and about 3% is from local and private sources.
?We are able to stretch our dollars and get the maximum benefit out of our limited funds by prioritizing our needs, and making sensible decisions concerning highway improvements, bridge preservation and paving,? said Bernhardt. ?By utilizing practical design standards that match the priority and use of the road, we can get more for our dollars.?
The commissioner also said that efficiencies at the department such as reworking snow plow routes, consolidation of maintenance facilities, a reduction in staff of approximately 12% over the past six years, and reclassifications of employees into a more flexible workforce helped free more funding for the work plan.
As this is a work plan for fiscal years 2012-13, construction on these projects is expected to begin as early as the spring 2012. These projects will be advertised for competitive bids from prospective contractors this fall and into winter.
?We have developed this work plan in keeping with Governor LePage?s fiscally conservative approach and his instructions to stretch our transportation dollars as far as possible. The governor?s budget eliminates indexing of the gas tax next year, transfers $20 million from the general fund into the highway fund and does not include any new transportation borrowing. I am proud of the work the Department has done in preparing a plan that meets our most pressing infrastructure needs while living within the means of Maine taxpayers,? said Bernhardt.