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Committee Rejects LePage’s Proposal to Phase Out Maine Turnpike Authority

A last-minute proposal by Gov. Paul LePage to phase out the Maine Turnpike Authority was taken up by the Legislature’s Transportation Committee Thursday and then swiftly and unanimously defeated.

LePage wanted to shift responsibility to the Maine Department of Transportation as a way to reduce tolls. The governor is convinced that Maine could do a more efficient job of running the toll highway than the quasi-independent Maine Turnpike Authority. In fact, the way he sees it, if the DOT was in charge, most tolls could be reduced or even eliminated, with the exception of the entrance to the turnpike in Kittery.

Lance Libby, a senior policy advisor to the governor, presented the case for the legislation at a public hearing before the Transportation Committee.

“New Hampshire and Massachusetts manage their toll roads without the necessity of a separate government entity and all of its overhead. These states are most likely realizing savings from efficiencies, which can be put back into the maintenance and operations of their roads and bridges,” he says.

But the proposal drew opposition from the Maine Better Transportation Association, the group representing contractors who do much of the bridge and road work in the state. Executive Director Maria Fuentes warned the condition of the Turnpike would likely suffer if it was to rely on a single toll paid when entering the road at Kittery.

“Stripping it of most of its funding source would be devastating to the state’s economy and would force it to compete with other roads for what is already inadequate funding,” she says.

Fuentes says Maine’s other roads and bridges are already underfunded, by the DOT’s own assessment. She says there is currently a need for another $160 million a year to keep up with those that need improvements.

The proposal also drew opposition from the Maine Tourism Association. Diane Johansen says asking tourists to pay a big fee to enter the state on the turnpike is not a message that would help Maine’s largest industry.

“Asking them to pay a significant toll upon entering our state is not the message we want to convey to first-time travelers here, and it certainly will be a deciding factor in the future as to whether they choose to vacation here again,” she says.

Committee members briefly discussed the proposal in a work session following the public hearing. They praised the operations of the Turnpike Authority and then unanimously voted to recommend against passage of the governor’s bill.

Under legislative rules that means the bill cannot move forward this year.

Journalist Mal Leary spearheads Maine Public's news coverage of politics and government and is based at the State House.