Maine DOT releases 2022 three-year work plan for infrastructure projects

The work plan includes all capital projects and programs, maintenance and operations activities, planning initiatives, and administrative functions for calendar years 2022, 2023, and 2024. This plan contains 2,316 individual work items with a total value of $3.17 billion, consisting primarily of work delivered or coordinated through MaineDOT.

“Action at the federal, state, and local levels may mean that we may soon be able to transition from ‘MacGyver’ mode toward a more proactive approach,” MaineDOT Commissioner Bruce Van Note said in a statement. “It’s too early to tell; we need to know more about goals that affect the scope of our work, construction costs, and the extent and sustainability of new funding. Still, for the first time in many years, it feels like we can begin to consider moving from reactive patching to proactive planning.”

MaineDOT said in a news release that once the federal funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) comes through, it will provide an increase in reliable formula funding that will help address construction cost inflation.

In 2021, Gov. Janet Mills proposed, and the Legislature approved, two General Fund initiatives that provided nearly $106 million to MaineDOT. In addition, this past November, more than 70% of voters approved a $100 million transportation bond, providing much-needed state match for federal and other funds to support MaineDOT’s capital production.

MaineDOT says this work plan includes nearly $1.8 billion for highway and bridge capital projects, including: 235 bridge projects (estimated cost: $631 million); 115 miles of highway construction and rehabilitation (estimated cost: $155 million); 353 highway safety and spot improvements (estimated cost: $237 million); 1,057 miles of preservation paving (estimated cost: $462 million); 2,162 miles of Light Capital Paving (LCP) (estimated cost: $111 million).