Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2003

SAFE, ACCOUNTABLE, FLEXIBLE, AND EFFICIENT TRANSPORTATION EQUITY ACT OF 2003

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, as the Senate begins consideration of the transportation legislation, let me first commend the distinguished managers of this bill, Senator Inhofe, Senator Bond, Senator Jeffords, and Senator Reid for their efforts to bring this vital 6-year reauthorization bill to the Senate floor. I particularly wish to recognize the efforts of Senator Bond. He has been a tireless champion of improving the transportation infrastructure in this country. He has worked night and day to craft a well-balanced bill. I hope we can move forward in considering this bill without undue delay.

This legislation would be very beneficial for the people of Maine and for our national economy. Nationwide, our transportation system is the lifeblood of economic development, the catalyst for the creation of thousands of jobs. Our transportation system affects our competitiveness, both within the United States and competing internationally.

For our economy to prosper, we need an integrated modern transportation system that realizes our goal of cost-effective and efficient modes of transportation while also recognizing the need for continued progress in improving the quality of our air. That is why I have not only supported funding for our highways and our bridges, but also I have advocated increased Federal funding for mass transit, for passenger rail initiatives, and alternative means of transportation as well.

In a large rural State such as Maine, an effective transportation network is absolutely essential. Maine has 1.3 million people spread out across roughly 34,000 square miles. Our State has by far the lowest population density in all of New England. Consequently, continuing to upgrade and improve our roads, highways, and bridges is essential to Maine's future prosperity. It is also a vital part of the economic strategies in our State that are aimed at increasing job opportunities for all of our citizens.

It is my hope that the Federal funding that is included in this legislation will support a strong partnership with the States that will allow us to build, repair, and maintain our surface transportation system into the 21st century.

The bill would also allow us to pursue some high priority transportation projects over the next 6 years. For example, as a native of Aroostook County in northern Maine, I understand how important it is to construct a north-south highway, a modern limited access highway through Aroostook County. This project has been in the works for more than 20 years. The interstate, when it was first constructed, for some reason stopped at Houlton, ME, rather than going through Aroostook County to the Canadian border. For that reason there have been economic development projects underway for some time, calling on us to construct a north-south highway to the Canadian border.

This project has been funded through the preconstruction stages and is currently undergoing the necessary review to complete the required environmental impact statement.

Northern Maine desperately needs the transportation and safety improvements such a highway would bring. For this reason I have made it my top transportation priority since being elected to the Senate in 1996. I hope the higher funding levels authorized by this legislation will enable the State of Maine to continue moving this vitally important project forward to the construction phase.

Just as I believe that the Aroostook highway project is critical for the transportation system and the economy of northern Maine, I also believe that an east-west highway, potentially running from the maritime provinces in Canada through eastern, central, and western Maine, to Quebec and northern New York State would significantly boost economic growth, job creation, and development throughout the entire region. This is an important transportation project, not only for that region of Maine but also for our Canadian neighbors.

Maine, like many other States in the Northeast, is facing an aging transportation infrastructure. It requires maintenance, rehabilitation, and in some cases outright replacement. The most urgent example of this problem is the Waldo-Hancock Bridge, a major suspension bridge that carries U.S. Route 1 over the Penobscot River, south of Bangor, and acts as a gateway to downeast Maine, one of the State's most widely visited regions.

The nearest alternative for crossing the Penobscot River is some 20 miles away in Bangor, and any interruption in the service would thus require a detour of at least 40 miles.

Unfortunately, due to safety concerns, last summer the State Department of Transportation had to lower the weight limits for vehicles using this bridge. The condition of the bridge has been declining steadily for a number of years, and despite efforts by the State to rehabilitate the existing structure, it has now become evident that the bridge must be replaced as soon as possible.

While providing States with adequate funding to move forward with high priority projects such as the east-west highway, the Hancock-Waldo bridge, and the Aroostook highway, as well as the funding of other more routine highway and transit projects as a major focus of this legislation, I also see this bill as an opportunity to address some important transportation safety issues. The most pressing transportation safety issue in my State has to do with Federal truck weight limits.

Under current law, trucks weighing as much as 100,000 pounds are allowed to travel on Interstate 95 from the border of Maine with New Hampshire, to Augusta, our capital city. At that point, right before Augusta, trucks weighing more than 80,000 pounds are forced off Interstate 95, which proceeds north to Houlton. Heavy trucks are forced onto smaller, secondary roads that pass through our cities, our towns, and our villages.

Augusta is an example of the problems this creates. When the trucks leave the interstate, they frequently travel down Western Avenue to encounter two heavily traveled traffic circles. These traffic circles have some of the highest accident rates in our State, and having these large, heavy trucks travel through the congestion of Western Avenue, around these two traffic circles and then continue on secondary roads poses a serious safety threat.

A uniform truck weight of 100,000 pounds on all of Interstate 95 in Maine would reduce highway miles and travel times necessary to economically and efficiently transport freight throughout Maine that would result in both economic and environmental benefits.

Moreover, Maine's extensive network of State and local roads would be better preserved without the wear and tear of heavy truck traffic. But most importantly, as I indicated with my example of the traffic circles in Augusta, ME, a uniform truck weight limit on the interstate would keep trucks on the interstate, which is designed to handle heavy trucks. That is where they belong rather than on the roads and highways that pass through Maine's cities, towns, and neighborhoods.

Maine's citizens and motorists are needlessly at risk because too many heavy trucks are diverted from the interstate and onto local roads.

Senator Snowe and I have an initiative to deal with this issue. We hope to work closely with the managers of the bill to address this very important traffic safety issue.

With 3,400 miles of coastline and 14 inhabited islands, there is another very important feature of transportation that affects my constituents. The Federal Highway Administration's Ferry Boat Discretionary Program is vitally important to the Maine State Ferry Service and the Casco Bay Island's Transit District, which provide critical transportation services to Maine's island communities. I have joined with my colleague, Senator Murray, and a bipartisan group of Senators in sponsoring the Ferry Transportation Enhancement Act, which would significantly increase funding that is available for ferry projects. We hope to pursue this proposal as the debate on this important legislation continues.

While this highway reauthorization legislation includes funding for traditional transportation programs, I am also pleased that it includes increased funding for both transportation enhancements and the Recreational Trails Program. Both have allowed States to greatly expand their bicycle path systems.

In Maine, for example, 94 bicycle paths and pedestrian walkways have been built with funding from these special programs.

I also believe that it is in our national interest to pursue and strengthen passenger rail services in the United States and to help maintain the solvency of Amtrak, even as we put reforms in place. Currently, there is no long-term stable funding source for passenger rail in the United States. Since 1971, when Amtrak was created, $25 billion has been spent on passenger rail. This contrasts sharply with the $750 billion that has been invested in our highways and aviation.

As the Senate moves forward in considering a wide range of transportation issues and funding questions in this vital bill, I look forward to working with all of my colleagues to make sure we pursue the goal of ensuring that our roads, our highways, and bridges are able to meet the needs of our citizens and commerce as we move forward in the 21st century.

Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor.