It’s no secret that Maine’s roads are in terrible shape. What is not so well known is that the money available to fix them is utterly inadequate.

The cost of asphalt and other petroleum-based paving materials is rising at 15 percent a year, while the amount of Highway Fund money in the state budget is declining. The new state budget will provide $30 million to $40 million less than the preceding budget for road and bridge repair. Even if the $100-million Highway Fund bond is approved on June 12, the current work plan would reconstruct only a very small portion of the roads that need rehabilitation or rebuilding.

Currently, about 40 percent of the 8,500 miles of roads under control of the Maine Department of Transportation are in need of repair or reconstruction. One estimate of the rate of road repair in the current work plan would have each road repaired once every 236 years. The inability to keep up with our aging roads and bridges clearly sets the stage for a future highway infrastructure melt down in Maine.

The Highway Fund itself is flashing a red warning light. In addition to road repairs, the fund pays for the department of transportation, the bureau of motor vehicles and much of the state police. Seventy percent of the revenue flowing into the fund comes from Maine’s tax on gasoline (28.3 cents per gallon) and diesel fuel (28.6 cents). The rest comes mostly from license and registration fees. But with the cost of gas so high, people are driving less. And with cars getting better mileage than ever, people don’t buy as much gas.

Obviously, good roads are essential. We need them to keep commerce moving, for everyday travel and to maintain our reputation as “Vacationland.” Tourism is our biggest industry, but it won’t be for long if our roads disintegrate. It is clear that we need radical change in the way we fund and handle road and bridge upkeep.

There is hope on the horizon. One of the most important pieces of legislation working its way through the Transportation Committee this session is LD 1790, An Act to Secure Maine’s Transportation Future. This marks the first time that a legislative body has looked at a comprehensive approach to meeting our highway needs now and over the long haul. It has widespread bipartisan support.

The original bill, of which I am a co-sponsor, would lay out a plan to create a Transportation Investment Trust Fund that would provide long-term funding for projects, while assuring that the funds are spent on “sand and gravel.” The real question now is how best to get highway dollars into this Trust Fund by redirecting existing revenue streams.

This legislation also presents a great opportunity for the Legislature to set performance goals for our transportation capital investments going forward. The plan would determine a method of measuring progress to enhance accountability. It would establish priorities to get the maximum benefit out of every dollar. It also would move us toward providing a stable, reliable, long-term financial plan for highway and bridge replacement, repair and maintenance, supported by user fees and taxes.

Many of us concerned with our transportation infrastructure are frustrated by the practice of shifting Highway Fund money to other projects that have nothing to do with our roads. They pay that money to make sure the roads they drive on won’t rattle out their teeth. LD 1790 would assure that the Highway Fund money be used on our pressing road and bridge needs.

The plan also would make greater use of GARVEE bonds – a grant anticipation revenue vehicle that is repaid with future federal highway funds. The financial dealings would be handled by the Maine Municipal Bond Bank. Section 5 of the bill provides enabling legislation for GARVEE bonds to be used for projects to reconstruct, rehabilitate and replace existing bridges and arterial highways that have a useful life of at least 20 years. The Legislature would approve GARVEE bonding levels as part of the Highway Fund budget.

Section 6 authorizes a $50-million GARVEE for the biennium starting July 1 to allow MDOT to deliver on its Capital Work Plan.

Currently, the Highway Fund pays an unusually high percentage of the State Police budget. Under LD 1790, the General Fund percentage of that budget would rise gradually from 50 percent to 75 percent over 15 years.

The bill also would increase fees for vehicles registered in Maine. The registration fee would go from $25 a year to $30. Title fees would rise from $23 to $30, per year. The cost of a vanity plate would go from $15 per year to $25. There are similar increases for trailers. The increases would go for actual road work.

The LD 1790 bill is 24 pages long, with lots more detail than I can include here.

No one dislikes fee and tax increases more than me, but the situation of our highway system is quite grim. Serious reform is needed, and it will cost us all some money. But the cost of letting our roads and bridges collapse would be far greater.

Rep. Rich Cebra (R-Naples) serves on the Transportation Committee