Bonding has gotten a bad name lately, ever since Gov. LePage made a firm promise in his recent budget message to the Legislature that he would not approve any borrowing for the next two-year budget cycle.

But it’s good thing that the voters of Maine didn’t feel that way when they approved a transportation bond to make much-needed improvements to aging bridges around the state. Part of that fund will be needed to rebuild the Memorial Bridge between Kittery and Portsmouth, N.H..

Maine and New Hampshire had already committed to come up with $35 million each for the projected $90 million project, with the rest coming from the federal government.

But the federal share, which would come through the TIGER grant program, has been put in jeopardy due to budget wrangling in Washington. Fortunately, Maine still has enough left in its bridge fund to commit to paying its share, making sure that the process can move forward while waiting for federal action.

The federal government should get its act together and keep its promises on this vital project. The Memorial Bridge carries U.S. Route 1 across the Piscataqua River — and in addition to being used by people who live nearby and cross the river daily to work or shop, the bridge also is used by people traveling the coast on one of the most famous and historically important highways in America. Route 1 is supposed to connect Key West, Fla., and Fort Kent. It would be a shame if it had to stop about 400 miles short of its destination.

Using the bond money to pay Maine’s share would deplete much of what is left in the fund, creating potential problems elsewhere in the state. But the state can’t afford to back out of the Kittery project now. “It just makes our jobs a little bit tougher,” said Sen. Jon Courtney, R-Sanford.

Imagine how tough it would have been if there had not been money available for transportation projects approved by the voters. A project like this, which still will be in use long after the bonds behind it have been paid off, is the perfect use of the state’s bonding authority and the kind of thing we should continue doing, even in this tough economy, to keep up with our other infrastructure needs.

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