AASHTO Journal, 30 October 2015
The TRIP infrastructure research group reported Oct. 28 that 15 percent of Maine’s roadway bridges are structurally deficient and in need of repair or replacement, just days before state voters will decide on an $85 million transportation bond proposal.
TRIP said the structurally deficient rating “means there is significant deterioration of the bridge supports or other major components,” and such bridges “are often posted for lower weight vehicles or closed to traffic.”
That has the effect, it noted, of restricting or redirecting large vehicles including commercial trucks, school busses and emergency service vehicles.
TRIP also said 18 percent of Maine’s bridges on state highways and local roads are functionally obsolete, “meaning they no longer meet modern design standards, often because of narrow lanes, inadequate clearances or poor alignment.”
Meanwhile, TRIP added, the Maine Department of Transportation’s current bridge funding is $70 million a year – the same level as from 2007 to 2009 – while “an annual bridge investment of $140 million is needed to maintain the state’s bridges in their current condition.”
To both maintain the bridge network and meet service, condition and safety goals, TRIP said $217 million would be needed each year. “Maine’s bridge conditions are only going to get worse if greater funding is not made available,” said Will Wilkins, TRIP’s executive director.
The group issued the report in the week before a Nov. 3 statewide ballot measure goes before voters. It would raise $85 million in new bond revenue, of which $68 million would go to bridges, state highways and secondary roads. The remaining $17 million would be available for a range of other transportation needs including marine, aviation, rail and alternatives to motorized travel.
Advocates say the bond revenue would also be used to match an estimated $121.5 million in federal and other funds, to generate more than $200 million in new investment into transportation projects.
Dana Connors, president of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement released with the TRIP report: “Maine’s transportation system is the cornerstone of the state’s economy. Every business in Maine depends on it, as do our citizens. It is critical that we increase the level of investment in our bridges, first and foremost for the safety of the traveling public, but also for the many businesses across Maine that depend on our system to ship their products to market.”
Connors said the group’s report on bridge conditions “tells us what MaineDOT engineers have also told us: We need to invest more in our bridges in order to ensure safety and ensure that Maine is competitive.”
