Page:American Jobs Plan State Fact Sheet ME.pdf/1



For decades, infrastructure in Maine has suffered from a systemic lack of investment. The need for action is clear:

Maine’s infrastructure received a  grade on its Infrastructure Report Card. The American Jobs Plan will make a historic investment in our nation’s infrastructure.


 * ROADS AND BRIDGES: In Maine there are 315 bridges and over 1,438 miles of highway in poor condition. Since 2011, commute times have increased by 1.9% in Maine and on average, each driver pays $543 per year in costs due to driving on roads in need of repair. The American Jobs Plan will devote more than $600 billion to transform our nations' transportation infrastructure and make it more resilient, including $115 billion repairing roads and bridges.


 * PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: Mainers who take public transportation spend an extra 85.8% of their time commuting and non-White households are 2.2 times more likely to commute via public transportation. 49% of trains and other transit vehicles in the state are past useful life. The American Jobs Plan will modernize public transit with an $85 billion investment.


 * RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE: From 2010 to 2020, Maine has experienced 3 extreme weather events, costing the state up to $100 million in damages. The President is calling for $50 billion to improve the resiliency of our infrastructure and support communities’ recovery from disaster.


 * DRINKING WATER: Over the next 20 years, Maine’s drinking water infrastructure will require $1.3 billion in additional funding. The American Jobs Plan includes a $111 billion investment to ensure clean, safe drinking water is a right in all communities.


 * HOUSING: In part due to a lack of available and affordable housing, 68,000 renters in Maine are rent burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on rent. The President proposes investing over $200 billion to increase housing supply and address the affordable housing crisis.


 * BROADBAND: 8% of Mainers live in areas where, by one definition, there is no broadband infrastructure that provides minimally acceptable speeds. And 85.3% of Mainers live in areas where there is only one such internet provider. Even where infrastructure is available, broadband may be too expensive to be within reach. 15% of Maine households do not have an internet subscription. The American Jobs Plan will invest $100 billion to bring universal, reliable, high-speed, and affordable coverage to every family in America.


 * CAREGIVING: Across the country, hundreds of thousands of older adults and people with disabilities are in need of home and community-based services. The President’s plan will invest $400 billion to help more people access care and improve the quality of caregiving jobs.


 * CHILD CARE: In Maine, there is an estimated $304 million gap in what schools need to do maintenance and make improvements and 22% of residents live in a childcare desert. The American Jobs Plan will modernize our nation’s schools and early learning facilities and build new ones in neighborhoods across Maine and the country.