Less debt.
More mobility and economic development.
The Maine Turnpike Authority's current 10-year plan proposes over $110 million on widening projects (mostly in Portland), plus over $80 million on tollbooth expansions over the next eight years. These expansion projects would be financed through debt, which, at a 5% interest rate, would send over $9 million a year to out-of-state bondholders.
With gasoline costs headed over $4 a gallon and traffic levels on the Turnpike flat or in decline, the need for these expansion projects is extremely questionable. In order to increase commerce and employment between communities along the Turnpike corridor, Maine needs a more frugal solution that makes better use of the infrastructure we already have.
MAST proposes that the Maine Turnpike Authority should instead spend roughly $3 million a year on a robust regional bus system. In addition to saving money for the Turnpike Authority, this alternative would also save millions of dollars in gasoline, maintenance, and insurance costs for Maine's commuters. It would reduce municipalities' expenditures on parking garages and local road maintenance. And instead of using toll revenue to pay interest to out-of-state banks, MAST's plan would keep more toll revenue right here in Maine, to repair bridges and local roads.
Support a smarter Turnpike.
Ask your legislators to vote "yes" to LD 673, An Act To Expand Fiscally Responsible Transportation through Increased ZOOM Bus Service.
LD 673 would establish new express commuter bus services between southern York County, Portland, Lewiston/Auburn, and Augusta, with stops at Park and Ride lots as well as at downtown employment centers and residential neighborhoods. These new transit services are based on recommendations from the Maine Turnpike Authority's very own "Alternative Modes Feasibility Study," which concluded in 1996 that these new routes would be cost-effective investments.
LD 673 would also set aside 3% of toll revenues to support basic transportation infrastructure maintenance statewide, thus ensuring that the Maine Turnpike Authority has a stake in the good repair of all of Maine's roads - not just one of them.
The bill enjoys broad bipartisan support, with 26 cosponsors. But it needs more supporters to succeed. Here's how you can help:
- Call your legislators. Ask them to vote in favor of LD 673, An Act To Expand Fiscally Responsible Transportation through Increased ZOOM Bus Service. You can look up your lawmakers' contact information here.
- Write a letter to the editor of a local newspaper. Share your thoughts on your region's transportation options, and how improved transit service could create a better community where you live. Feel free to use some of the facts and statistics on this webpage, or in MAST's "Turnpike for the 21st Century" report. Follow these links to write to the Lewiston Sun-Journal, the Kennebec Journal, Waterville Morning Sentinel, the Portland Press Herald, Foster's Daily Democrat, the Windham/Gray Independent, or the Forecaster.
- Support the Maine League of Young Voters and the Conservation Law Foundation by becoming a member. These MAST coalition members have taken the lead in moving the ZOOM bill forward, with grassroots organizational support, legal expertise, and grassroots lobbying efforts in Augusta.
For additional information:
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