No easy fix in sightfor Maine’s lousy roads

By Mike Lange

    Many motorists whine, complain or curse when they run into a road construction project. I don’t. Usually, I cheer when I see backhoes, crawlers and trucks filled with asphalt on the highway. I even give the flaggers a thumb’s-up when I’m finally allowed through.

    I don’t know about you, but my vehicles take a beating on so-called “main roads.” Up until a few years ago, a trip from St. Albans to Millinocket via Route 11 was enough to jar the fillings from your teeth.
    It isn’t nearly as bad now. But there are several rough spots that need attention. And “attention” costs money. A few years ago, a working group of contractors, town road commissioners and Maine Department of Transportation employees estimated that resurfacing rural roads runs about $21,000 per lane mile while full reconstruction can cost from $375,000 to $500,000 for the same distance. And these are 2009 figures.
    Gov. Paul LePage vetoed the state budget, but signed a $614 million highway budget bill in late June. The bill authorizing the expenditures didn’t generate much of a whimper from the legislature, either. The reason: no new taxes or fees, and reportedly a cut of several positions at MDOT, mostly through attrition.
    While the MDOT budget is traditionally paid by gasoline taxes, you have to wonder when the well will start to dry up. When gasoline prices go past $3.50 per gallon, I always ask “Is this trip necessary?” The days of routine Sunday drives to the coast or to The County are a distant memory.
    So if you have a decreasing source of revenue and the price of everything connected to petroleum goes up — like asphalt and the diesel to run the trucks hauling it — what do you do? I guess the current answer is “make do with what you’ve got.”
    The original highway budget, we’re told, proposed shifting some excise taxes paid by tractor-trailers away from municipalities where they’re parked, and into the state highway fund. Well, that idea didn’t fly very well in towns with a significant number of heavy-duty trucks registered.
    I guess I’m cynical in my advanced age, but another nickel per gallon added to a product that already costs $3.69 isn’t going to break me. I’d rather cough up the extra cash than replace tires, tie rods and ball joints for the vehicles I usually run until they’re ready for the scrap heap.
    However, lawmakers who dare vote for a tax increase will undoubtedly be targeted in as liberal spendthrifts. So don’t hold your breath.
    State Sen. Doug Thomas of Ripley once said that the Maine DOT has an abundance of engineers, but not enough people to drive the snowplows and repair the roads during the summer. Doug calls it “misplaced priorities.”
    Maybe he’s right. It wouldn’t be the first time that a state agency was top-heavy with supervisors and light on ground troops.
    But it’s obvious we can’t continue business as usual. Those who don’t have to drive are doing it less. Those who have to drive by necessity are getting their vehicles beat up. If there’s a compromise somewhere, let’s talk about it. Everything should be on the table.
    Mike Lange is a staff writer for the Piscataquis Observer. His opinions are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of this newspaper.