AUGUSTA, Maine — It will be a busy next several years for the Maine Department of Transportation. On Tuesday, MDOT shared its three-year work plan.
As part of the plan, crews are slated to work on 2,599 individual work items with a total value of $3.94 billion.
"It affects every Mainer in every part of the state, all modes of transportation. It's a big deal," MDOT Commissioner Bruce Van Note said.
Projects range from improvements to roads and bridges, to ferries and ports. Van Note said additional federal and state funding will allow for more projects than normal.
"For years, that's all we could do. Is just kind of go, 'Well this is how we're going to hold things together to get it as smooth as we can for the customers,'" Van Note said. "Now because of a couple of events, the passing of the federal bill, and the Governor and the legislature stepping up with matching funds, we're able to go for more substantial improvements."
Van Note said the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is going to help the DOT move from "defense to offense."
Some of the largest projects planned over the next several years include the construction of approximately six miles of new highway between Route 1 in Westfield and Conant Road in Presque Isle which will cost more than $84 million.
Among other projects is a planned replacement of interstate bridge decks in Medway, Pittsfield, Bangor, Hampden, and Howland, totaling about $80 million.
The work plan also calls for nearly $75 million in funding for Maine’s marine infrastructure, $92 million in funding for ferry infrastructure and service across Maine, and $171.5 million in funding for the state aviation system across multiple airports.
You can see the full work plan here to learn more about projects in your part of the state.
