How Federal Transportation Funding Can Deliver More Choices for Mainers

How we design and build our transportation system has huge implications for health, equity, and the environment.

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) is the largest source of federal funding to support Maine's transportation network, but historic underinvestment has left Maine's roads and bridges in a persistent state of disrepair and its transit system struggling to meet demand.

In order to support the needs of all Mainers and facilitate a thriving economy connected by reliable transportation options, the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) is joining national and state partners in encouraging the Department of Transportation (DOT) to prioritize funding for maintenance, transit expansion, and last-mile connections that improve connectivity between transportation modes.

Lack of reliable mobility options, particularly in a rural state like Maine, has direct impacts on Mainers' quality of life and well-being, including for example, preventing grandparents from helping with childcare, students from attending community colleges and vocational schools, and eligible adults from participating in the workforce.

Unlocking freedom of mobility through investment in a robust multimodal transportation system is essential for rural communities to actualize their social and economic potential.

In response to a request for input from DOT, NRCM recently wrote a comment letter with five recommendations for how the STBG can be used to improve Maine's transportation system for all users while encouraging economic development and lowering long-term costs for taxpayers.

1. Increase funding for transit operations.

Maine's Public Transit Advisory Council (PTAC), a group comprised of transit operators, users, and stakeholders across the state, published its biennial report earlier this year, and the number one priority identified to improve transit service in Maine was to substantially increase operating dollars for transit providers.¹

The 16 transit providers across the state know how to best service the needs of their communities, but a systemic lack of funding prevents them from providing regular and reliable service. Maine's public transit system is meeting just 11% of the expressed need for rides statewide, a shortfall that is leaving workers stranded at home and small businesses without reliable customer bases.²

2. Expand mobility options in rural communities to increase economic participation and reduce household costs.

More than 40,000 households in Maine do not have access to a vehicle. Further, more than 10,500 Mainers identified lack of transportation as their number one reason for unemployment. Maine families spend on average more than $1,000 per month to own and operate a personal vehicle - equivalent to approximately 30% of the median Maine income.³

This transportation cost burden falls disproportionately on rural and low-income communities as they are more likely to have longer commute distances, less reliable cars, and fewer alternatives. Expanding mobility options in rural communities will reduce transportation cost burdens for Maine families and increase participation in local economies.

3. Prioritize road maintenance and sustainable multimodal networks over highway expansion projects.

The federal transportation program should prioritize maintenance on existing roads and bridges ahead of roadway capacity expansion. Deferring needed maintenance leads to increased costs down the road and inhibits effective asset management. Roads in bad repair increase costs for families who drive as well as undermining the reliability and safety of transit.

Further, new road building incurs maintenance obligations that are not sustainable for a state like Maine that already struggles to keep road and bridge infrastructure in a state of safe repair. Maine's roads and bridges received a "C" grade in the most recent American Society of Civil Engineers report. A focus on maintenance and congestion mitigation through transit and active transportation investments will reduce wear and tear on our roads and lower transportation costs for Maine residents.

4. Reduce local match requirements and relax stringent federal oversight for active transportation and public transit projects.

The 2025 PTAC report recommends reducing local match in order to encourage more participation in transit programs and reducing regulatory barriers to expanding transit service.⁴ For example, new transit lines - whether rail or bus rapid transit (BRT) - must undergo an extensive federal analysis to qualify for limited capital investment grant funding, whereas highways, roads, and bridges have much less stringent required analysis.

Moreover, transit projects are burdened by disproportionate local match requirements and should not have to contribute more local match than road and bridge projects. It is clear that there is far more demand for transit than current federal funding can support, with a transit state of good repair backlog of more than $140 billion and many transit agencies struggling to maintain existing operations.⁵

The next reauthorization of the STBG should meet this demand by increasing transit funding and making it easier to deploy those dollars, including streamlining requirements and accepting local match for new transit projects on par with that required for highways.

5. Increase funding for electric vehicle (EV) charging installation to lower costs for Maine families and increase statewide connectivity.

NRCM conducts the only statewide survey of Maine EV owners to learn about their experiences and inform prospective buyers. In addition to near unanimous enthusiasm for EVs among owners across Maine, our most recent survey found that one of the top concerns for prospective EV buyers is a lack of reliable public charging stations.⁶

Electric vehicle charger in Bangor, MaineEVs are less expensive to own and operate than their combustion engine counterparts due to significantly lower fueling and maintenance costs combined with longer road life expectancy. In order to support the exponentially growing demand for EVs in Maine and the cost savings associated with EVs, the next reauthorization should include support for rapidly deploying a robust network of public chargers throughout the state. Such a network would support both Maine residents and visitors alike and would boost local economies.

In 2025, the Maine Legislature passed a new law supporting the PTAC recommendations for improving transit and began a conversation about how the Maine Department of Transportation can better plan transportation projects to ensure they are reducing pollution, improving health, and providing residents with the greatest range of options available. Though they ultimately didn't pass the bill we hoped they would, we look forward to continuing the conversation about providing more choices for Mainers and building a more equitable transportation system that better serves the needs of our rural state.

Maine is making progress toward this vision, and we hope to see the federal government prioritize spending in alignment with Maine's goals.

-Josh Caldwell, NRCM Climate & Clean Energy Policy Advocate and Outreach Manager

1 Public Transit Advisory Council, "2025 Biennial Report to the Legislature," March 2025, https://www.maine.gov/dot/programs-services/transit/advisory-council.

2 John T Gorman Foundation, "Addressing the Transportation Challenges of Maine Families," April 2025. https://www.jtgfoundation.org/2025/04/new-report-addressing-the-transportation-challenges-of-maine-families/

3 John T Gorman Foundation, "Addressing the Transportation Challenges of Maine Families," April 2025. https://www.jtgfoundation.org/2025/04/new-report-addressing-the-transportation-challenges-of-maine-families/

4 Public Transit Advisory Council, "2025 Biennial Report to the Legislature," March 2025, https://www.maine.gov/dot/programs-services/transit/advisory-council.

5 Federal Transit Administration and the Volpe Center, "Transit State of Good Repair National Backlog Analysis," January 2025, https://www.transit.dot.gov/sites/fta.dot.gov/files/2025-01/Transit-State-of-Good-Repair-National-Backlog-Analysis_0.pdf

6 Natural Resources Council of Maine, "2022 Maine Electric Vehicle Owner Survey," May 2022, https://www.nrcm.org/programs/climate/cleaner-transportation/2022-maine-electric-vehicle-survey/