Chapter 90 bill remains in Senate Ways and Means

The fiscal 2023 Chapter 90 bond bill remains in the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, to which it was referred on March 31 after being approved by the House.

The House bill would provide $200 million for the Chapter 90 program to maintain local roads and bridges, along with $150 million for other municipal infrastructure grant programs, including:
• $30 million for the Municipal Small Bridge Program
• $30 million for Complete Streets
• $40 million for design, construction, repair and improvements on non-federally aided roads and bridges, including state routes and municipal roads
• $25 million to improve bus stops and stations
• $25 million for mass transit and commuter rail stations and parking lots, and related enhancements

Base Chapter 90 funding has been level-funded at $200 million since fiscal 2012. Adjusting for inflation, the program has lost 42.6% of its purchasing power over the past 11 years, according to an MMA analysis.

The MMA’s most recent biennial statewide survey shows that cities and towns need $600 million in Chapter 90 funding to adequately maintain 30,000 miles of local roads and hundreds of bridges. The MMA and local officials continue to advocate for a permanent increase in Chapter 90 funding to a $300 million, multiyear allocation, indexed to grow each year by the rate of inflation.