Nineteen percent of Maine’s major locally and state-maintained roads are in poor condition, according to a recent report by TRIP, a nonprofit organization that researches, evaluates and distributes economic and technical data on surface transportation issues.
Another 35 percent of roads are in fair condition.
The report, Keeping Maine Mobile: Providing a Modern, Sustainable Transportation System in the Pine Tree State, also examines cost breakdowns, highway safety data, and congestion data for the Bangor, Lewiston-Auburn and Portland areas.
TRIP found that drivers in Maine are spending $1.6 billion in extra vehicle operating costs statewide annually as a consequence of lost time and fuel due to congestion-related delays, repair costs, tire wear, vehicle depreciation, and traffic crashes.
In addition, 15 percent of locally and state-maintained bridges that measure 20 feet or more in length are rated poor/structurally deficient. This is the fourth highest share in the United States. Only 25 percent of bridges are rated in good condition.
From 2019 to 2023, 792 people died on the state’s roads. In 2023, traffic crashes cost Mainers $641 million in economic costs.
In 2022, the fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles of travel was 0.89 fatalities, lower than the national average of 1.26.