Maine Gov. Janet Mills recently signed the Highway Fund budget into law.
The budget dedicates 40 percent of sales and use taxes collected by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and 40 percent of the 5.5 percent sales tax on vehicle purchases to the Highway Fund. This will generate more than $200 million for infrastructure repair per biennium, according to estimates.
The budget also dedicates $135 million to the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT). It stipulates the agency will receive 20 percent of approximately $156 million unappropriated in surplus. This brings the General Fund’s support of MaineDOT to nearly $300 million.
The agency will implement its three-year work plan. The plan contains 264 highway safety and spot improvements, 271 miles of highway construction and rehabilitation, 302 bridge projects, 1,178 miles of preservation paving, and more than 2,000 miles of light capital paving.
“The need for sustainable, dedicated revenue for MaineDOT’s capital program has been a persistent challenge for decades, making long-term planning very challenging,” MaineDOT Commissioner Bruce Van Note said. “This budget makes a huge stride toward fiscal sustainability for the Highway Fund. Transportation affects every Maine person every day, so this budget represents a real win for the safety, economic opportunity, and quality of life of all Maine people.”