Connecting Maine, Multimodal Long-Range Transportation Plan, Maine DOT, 2007

Maine DOT developed a new 20-year multi-modal transportation plan in late 2007. The plan, titled "Connecting Maine: Planning our Transportation Future," includes investment to improve and upgrade ground transportation facilties including highways, bridges, public transit, and multi-modal connections. A major element of the new plan is to suport economic development includng the strengthening of economic connections within the state and links to outside areas, public/private partnerships and growth of international trade moving through the Halifax-to-Toronto-and-Chicago trade corridors.

Given the major emphasis on support for economic development, Maine DOT engaged the Maine Center for Business and Economic Research (MCBER) at the University of Southern Maine to evaluate and measure the expected statewide economic consequences of these improvements. The university study team used the Transportation Economic Development Impact System (TREDIS) as their framework for analysis, linking it with MaineDOT's TRIPS traffic model analysis and the Maine economic impact model maintained by MCBER.