Maine Revised Statutes Title 23. Transportation § 1801. Findings and purpose

Municipal transportation assistance funds must be targeted to the capital needs of rural roads and highways and must also reflect urban maintenance responsibilities on state and state aid roadways.

Municipal transportation assistance funds must be adjusted according to increases or decreases in Highway Fund resources available for transportation.

Responsibility for decisions regarding maintenance and improvement of roads must follow the principle that roads that primarily serve regional or statewide needs must be the State's responsibility, roads that primarily serve local needs must be a local responsibility and roads that primarily serve as minor collector routes and major collector routes may be improved through a partnership between municipalities and the State.

The Legislature recognizes that without municipal participation the State has few resources to make necessary capital improvements to state aid minor collector highways and state aid major collector highways.

The purpose of the Local Road Assistance Program established in this subchapter is to provide equitable financial assistance to communities for their use in improving local roads and maintaining state roads in urban compact areas. The purpose of the Secondary Road Program Fund established in this subchapter is to establish a partnership between communities and the State in making capital improvements to state aid minor collector highways and state aid major collector highways.

In order to meet the purposes set out in this section, the Local Road Assistance Program has rural road assistance and urban compact assistance funding as components.