Maine voters approve major transportation bond for road, bridge improvements

Voters in the state of Maine overwhelmingly approved a state ballot measure that will provide money for road and bridge improvements in the Pine Tree State.

The ballot measure authorized $105 million in bonds for transportation improvements, and its approval was pulling ahead by around 46,000 votes as of 10 p.m. on Nov. 5, according to the Portland Press-Herald.

The approval of the measure will allow for $85 million in road and bridge construction projects; $15 million for ports, harbors, airports, railroads, public transit, and bike and pedestrian trails; $4 million to upgrade municipal culverts; and $1 million to renovate a wharf and bulkhead at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute in Portland. The state funds will reportedly be used to match an estimated $137 million in federal funds.

Gov. Janet Mills had urged Maine residents to vote for the transportation bond. She said repairs and maintenance are crucial because Maine is one of most rural states in America and has one of the nation’s most widely dispersed populations.

The governor signed the bond into law in August after it was approved with overwhelming bipartisan legislative support.

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SOURCE: Portland Press-Herald