“Mainers can be proud of the progress made to improve infrastructure in our state,” said Nate Strout, P.E., President of the Maine section of ASCE. “The improving grades are the results of increased investment and efforts to build more resilient infrastructure. Now is the time to build on that progress by ensuring infrastructure funding remains a priority at all levels to ensure Maine has reliable infrastructure systems to power our state’s economy and improve everyone’s quality of life.”
In this year's report card, roads saw a two-step grade increase from a ‘D’ to a ‘C-’. Over the last decade, the state has seen substantial improvements in pavement conditions, with 74 percent of state highways in good or excellent condition compared to 60 percent in 2012. Maine has invested substantially in projects to improve roads and bridges across the state, with Maine DOT’s 2024-2026 work plan including $4.74 billion in projects, an 83 percent increase over the 2020-2022 work plan. Much of the increased funding is thanks to state lawmakers creating new reliable funding sources for transportation projects to make up for the reduced purchasing power of the state’s fuel tax, which has remained unchanged since 2011, and loses purchasing power due to more fuel-efficient vehicles and rising construction and labor costs. One-time funding sources like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) are also helping fund improvements to roads.
Maine’s bridges saw a one-step decrease to a ‘D+’ in the 2024 report card, compared to a ‘C-’ in 2020. One out of every seven bridges are in poor condition, and more than half of the bridges in the state are more than 50 years old, which is the designed service life for most bridges. Between 2010 and 2020, Maine made substantial progress in reducing the number of bridges in poor condition. However, many aging bridges in the state have gone from fair to poor condition in recent years, which has reversed that progress. In addition to this, recent severe weather events and storms have damaged parts of the state’s transportation infrastructure, which has put an increased focus on designing and building more resilient infrastructure to withstand the increase in extreme conditions. While increased funding for transportation from state and federal sources has the potential to improve the conditions of bridges across the state, those projects are in the design and construction process and are not reflected in current condition data.
While Maine’s drinking water grade remained stable at a ‘C-’, aging infrastructure and new regulations on the levels of ‘forever chemicals’ (PFAs) in water will put pressure on utility systems that rely heavily on user fees and have limited budgets to upgrade their facilities. Water systems in Maine are not meeting their goal to replace one percent of water service lines each year, which adds anywhere from 10 to 50 years to the typical 100-year replacement cycle. Maine has approximately $60 million in annual drinking water needs for the next 20 years, with an estimated annual shortfall of $27 million. Those funding numbers are expected to increase as water systems comply with new federal regulations which will limit the levels of PFAs in drinking water. Wastewater (C-) and stormwater (C) systems in Maine both saw a one-step grade increase in the 2024 report card. While increased funding for these systems has helped make much-needed improvements, there are still potential problems ahead, including many wastewater and stormwater systems nearing the age of their projected lifespans, which will require extensive improvements to ensure they remain reliable and resilient for the future.
Maine’s energy grade dropped two steps to a ‘C-’ in this year’s report card. The state’s energy systems need approximately $2 billion in work to meet current needs. Like most states, Maine is dealing with increasing energy demand caused by more heat pumps used to heat homes and businesses and electric vehicle charging. While new renewable energy sources are coming online, demand is growing faster than the development of new plants. Additionally, power plants built during the 1970s and 1980s are reaching the end of their service life and will need to be replaced. As Maine builds an energy grid for the future, resilience and reliability must be a top priority because Maine is third in the nation in terms of both the frequency and duration of power outages.
The Report Card for Maine’s Infrastructure includes five recommendations to raise the grade.
- Prioritize public safety: Prioritize funding for statewide dam and levee needs, PFAS remediation, and reducing traffic fatalities. There are significant hazards posed by dam or levee failures, including risks to public safety, property, infrastructure, and the environment. Additionally, increasing investment will be required for Maine's efforts to address PFAS contamination in the environment, including soil and groundwater assessments and remediation measures. Traffic crashes typically cause over 150 fatalities on Maine roads annually. Investing in recommendations in the state’s highway strategic safety plan will save lives.
- Implement climate resilience: In recent years, the increasing frequency of severe storms has significantly impacted Maine's infrastructure. With our state’s “Maine Won’t Wait” plan for future maintenance and improvements, it's essential to strategically invest in enhancing the resiliency of our state’s infrastructure. This will ultimately reduce long-term costs for users. All projects should consider climate impacts in their decision-making process regarding infrastructure investments. As an example, increasing investments in transit to attract more users will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- Create sustainable funding sources: A continued reliance on federal grants, non-indexed user fees, and one-time increases in funding is not sustainable. Infrastructure projects require extensive time to plan, design, and permit. While transportation has historically benefitted from the fuel tax and state bonding, its purchasing power has diminished over the years. To address rising construction costs and accommodate the shift to electric vehicles, we must identify new funding sources to replace the declining fuel tax and user fees, such as the Passenger Facility Charge (PFC).
- Set responsible, resilient utility rates and user fees: User fees should accurately reflect the true costs of using, maintaining, and improving our infrastructure. While many infrastructure owners can evaluate their own needs and set appropriate fees or bonding plans, a sustained educational initiative is crucial to inform the public about fee changes and assist smaller or resource-constrained utilities in financing options and outreach strategies. The public's willingness to accept increased user fees for necessary infrastructure upgrades is essential, particularly when significant investments are needed.
- Educate and innovate: Maine has an aging population possessing a wealth of expertise and practical knowledge that must be harnessed and shared to cultivate a skilled workforce for the future. The industry must adapt to the next generation to foster a dynamic and resilient work environment. By investing and embracing innovation and new technologies, opportunities exist to empower the workforce and ensure its ability to thrive and adapt in the years to come.
The report card was created as a public service to citizens and policymakers to inform them of the infrastructure needs in Maine. Civil engineers use their expertise and school report card-style letter grades to condense complicated data into an easy-to-understand analysis of Maine’s infrastructure network. Forty-one ASCE members from Maine volunteered their time and expertise to complete the Report Card for Maine’s Infrastructure. ASCE State Report Cards are modeled after the national Infrastructure Report Card, which gave America’s infrastructure an overall grade of ‘C-’ in 2021. The next national Infrastructure Report Card will be released in March 2025.
About the American Society of Civil Engineers
Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers represents more than 160,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America's oldest national engineering society. ASCE works to raise awareness of the need to maintain and modernize the nation's infrastructure using sustainable and resilient practices, advocates for increasing and optimizing investment in infrastructure, and improve engineering knowledge and competency. For more information, visit www.asce.org or www.infrastructurereportcard.org and follow us on Twitter, @ASCETweets and @ASCEGovRel.
