Maine
Maine may not get all the federal money it needs for roads and broadband
The large sum that Maine expects from the federal infrastructure invoice over the following 5 years might not be sufficient to carry roads and web connections updated, an economist instructed a convention on Tuesday.
It might want to piggyback the $2.5 billion in anticipated federal funds onto current state and native applications to stretch the {dollars}. The cash from the $1 trillion invoice might be used to restore roads, add power effectivity, increase broadband and enhance airports and water infrastructure, amongst different designated makes use of.
These investments are more likely to make all elements of Maine extra livable and accessible, particularly as the new housing market is taking homebuyers farther into suburban and rural Maine, the place broadband connections could be iffy.
However the cash gained’t simply rain down on Maine. The state might want to compete for a lot of it in opposition to different states, making it unsure how a lot Maine will get by the tip, Charlie Colgan, a economics professor emeritus on the College of Southern Maine, stated by way of a video name to attendees of the annual MEREDA spring actual property convention in Portland.
“We may get greater than $2.47 billion if we’re good at competing for it, but it surely’s not going to be sufficient,” Colgan stated. “We’ll want to make use of federal cash so as to add to, not substitute, native cash.”
He stated the main target of utilizing the cash might be to repair what’s damaged as a result of “it’s solely going to get extra damaged.” By integrating federal funds with cash already granted for initiatives, the state may add transformative applied sciences comparable to 5G wi-fi and wind and photo voltaic applied sciences to transition away from fossil fuels.
The largest chunk of cash, some $1.8 billion, will go towards repairs and enlargement of highways, bridges and public transportation. That would add gentle alerts in downtowns to make them safer and restore roads or add bike lanes in communities, stated Dale Doughty, director of planning on the Maine Division of Transportation.
Division initiatives are already underway for $100,000 to $200,000 funding to enhance security in smaller communities and as much as $10 million to enhance downtown areas in Naples, Hallowell and the Belgrade Lakes Village.
Broadband is one other space the place funding is already out there from a number of sources, together with the new $100 million from the infrastructure invoice. Some headway is being made in broadband enlargement to the 86,000 Mainers who didn’t have efficient connections as much as a yr in the past. That quantity was reduce to 35,000 with out connections final yr, and the federal funding can be utilized to attach the remaining, stated Heather Johnson, commissioner of the Maine Division of Financial and Group Growth.
Having broadband to a house can add 3 p.c to six p.c to a property’s worth, stated Kerem Durdag, CEO of Biddeford-based web firm GWI. He stated the funding represents an opportunity for Maine to maneuver into the longer term.
“It’s a as soon as in a generational alternative for us as a state to lever up infrastructure that brings us to the twenty first century,” he stated. “I say twenty first century as a result of there are nonetheless individuals in Maine who need to reside off of dial-up as a result of no infrastructure exists the place they’re.”