The Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) announced Tuesday that it will be moving forward with projects that were temporarily delayed following the promise of $136 million in funding to address projected shortfalls.
Gov. Janet Mills (D) said last week that the state would be directing $136 million to the MaineDOT so that the department can continue its work uninterrupted by the anticipated lack of funding.
A full list of projects and their updated schedules in light of this new funding can be found here.
In a press release shared Tuesday, the MaineDOT warned that although this influx of funding will allow them to move forward with these projects as outlined in the new timelines, the State Legislature must find and implement long-term solutions going forward.
“Inflation, increasing construction costs, aging infrastructure, and transportation revenues that have not kept pace with those costs continue to create significant funding pressures,” the MaineDOT wrote.
According to the department’s estimates, the MaineDOT will need an additional $195 million in funding in Fiscal Year 2029 in order to continue operating at it’s current level with minimal programmatic expansions.
The MaineDOT goes on to explain that the department expects this funding gap “to continue growing as inflation drives costs higher.”
