Will provide Reading with $605,006 for local transportation infrastructure
BOSTON – Reading will receive $605,006 in state funding to support local transportation infrastructure, under a Chapter 90 bond bill that recently passed the House of Representatives with the support of House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (R-North Reading) and State Representative Richard Haggerty (D-Woburn).
House Bill 3903, An Act financing improvements to municipal roads and bridges, was engrossed by the House on a unanimous roll call vote of 160-0 on June 22. The bill authorizes a total of $200 million in state borrowing for the Chapter 90 program in Fiscal Year 2022, along with $75 million in spending increases for three transportation-related municipal grant programs.
Established by the Legislature in 1973, the Chapter 90 program allocates funding to cities and towns on an annual basis using a distribution formula that takes into consideration a community’s population, employment, and total road miles. Municipalities can use the funding for a wide range of capital improvement projects such as road resurfacing and related work, including sidewalks, traffic control measures, and roadside drainage.
“The funding resources provided through the Chapter 90 program are critical to helping communities like Reading upgrade their local transportation infrastructure,” said Representative Jones. “This new Chapter 90 authorization, along with the increased funding that is being made available for municipal grant opportunities in this bill, will go a long way towards assisting cities and towns in addressing their priority transportation needs.”
“This Chapter 90 appropriation will provide Reading with the critical resources it needs to repave local roadways and upgrade infrastructure,” said Representative Haggerty. “I was pleased to vote in favor of this new round of aid which will assist our communities in keeping our roads safe and complete local paving projects.”
In addition to the Chapter 90 bond authorization, House Bill 3903 also contains funding increases for three municipal grant programs that were initially funded in a comprehensive transportation bond bill that was signed into law on January 15. Specifically, the bill provides for:
- a $25 million increase for the municipal small bridge grant program, which helps communities fund construction, repairs and improvements for non-federally aided bridges, bringing the total appropriation to $95 million;
- a $25 million increase in grants to assist municipalities with the prioritization and enhancement of mass transit by bus, doubling the program’s appropriation to $50 million; and
- a $25 million increase in grants to municipalities for local projects that increase access to mass transit and commuter rail stations, bringing the total appropriation to $50 million.
House Bill 3903 now moves to the Senate for its consideration.
