Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey recently signed a bill worth $375 million that will provide improvements to roads and bridges throughout the state and help stimulate the state’s economy.
The bill includes one-year injection of $200 million for the Chapter 90 program, which provides municipalities with an annual funding source for improvements to local infrastructure and transportation networks, plus $175 million in transportation-related grants.
"I think about the things that kept me up at night when I was a mayor, and it was safety and making sure we had the resources to make investments, particularly in our older communities," Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said to WBUR.
"We're trying to build strong pipelines in our community for housing, support the sorts of developments that we know are necessary, and infrastructure is at the heart of it all. So, these resources, when you combine them with hardworking municipal officials, are going to go a long way to demonstrating the type of communities we all want to build — places that are safer, that have infrastructure that's meeting the demands of a growing economy."
Now that the Chapter 90 program has been approved, funding for infrastructure like the Beaver Street Bridge in Lowell city has been unlocked. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) approved $1,600,00 million to replace part of the structure that has been closed to traffic since 2019.
The Chapter 90 bill had floundered in negotiations in the state House and Senate due to disagreements around where to spend certain grant money.
With the Chapter 90 bill now finalized, the Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) has said Beacon Hill lawmakers will also need to take action on a bond terms bill in the coming weeks.
"Approval of the Chapter 90 and bond terms legislation is required before the Massachusetts Department of Transportation can program the funding for municipal use," an MMA analysis stated.
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Source: WBUR
