Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
Gov. Charlie Baker filed a transportation bond bill today that includes $200 million for the Chapter 90 local road and bridge program for fiscal 2017.
The bill, “An Act Financing Improvements to Municipal Roads and Bridges,” includes $50 million to fund a new small bridges program and additional funding for the state highway program.
The governor’s Chapter 90 recommendation falls short of the $300 million in spending authorized for fiscal 2016. The MMA has been calling for a multi-year recommendation of $300 million annually, beginning in fiscal 2017, to help cities and towns implement long-term plans to maintain local roads and streets in a state of good repair.
The new small bridges program would provide funding for the design, construction, preservation, reconstruction and repair of or improvements to non-federally aided bridges and approaches with span lengths no greater than 20 feet. The new program, the first of its kind, would help municipalities fix or replace small, municipally owned bridges.
Statewide, there are approximately 1,300 small bridges that cover spans of 10 to 20 feet that are not eligible for federal assistance. The bridge program will be funded at $50 million over five years.
Under the terms of the governor’s bill, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation would provide preliminary notification of Chapter 90 spending authorizations to individual cities and towns by the customary April 1 deadline.
The MMA is reaching out to House and Senate leaders to request that hearings and debate be held soon in both branches so that final authorization numbers can be approved by the end of March. The MMA is also asking that the authorization be increased to $300 million annually.
• Download full text of “An Act Financing Improvements to Municipal Roads and Bridges” (195K PDF)