Gov. signs $200M Ch. 90 bond bill for FY16

Gov. Charlie Baker today signed a one-year, $200 million Chapter 90 bond bill, which gives cities and towns access to a total of $330 million to repair and maintain local roads during the 2015 spring-to-fall construction season.
 
The bond bill for fiscal 2016 was filed by the governor on March 12 and was passed unanimously by the House and Senate on March 25 and April 1, respectively. The House and Senate then enacted the bill yesterday.
 
The $200 million authorized by the law will be combined with $100 million in new Chapter 90 authorizations that the governor released in January and a new $30 million fund created to help cities and towns repair potholes and other winter damage. Municipalities look forward to putting the money to work to repair local roads that took a beating during an historic winter.
 
“We applaud the Baker administration and all members of the Legislature for moving swiftly on this critical funding bill,” said MMA Executive Director Geoff Beckwith. “This year more than ever, cities and towns need to be able to get to work early in the construction season.”
 
The Chapter 90 local road and bridge program provides cities and towns with a source of funding to maintain, repair and rebuild 30,000 miles of local roads in every corner of the state. The MMA and other advocates have long argued that adequate and timely funding for Chapter 90 is essential for public safety, economic growth, and quality of life in Massachusetts.
 
With the state working to erase a $1 billion mid-year budget deficit in fiscal 2015 and a $1.8 billion structural budget gap for fiscal 2016, the Baker-Polito administration decided to file a one-year Chapter 90 bond bill. Now that it has been enacted, the MMA and local officials will work in partnership with the administration and legislators to achieve long-range funding for Chapter 90 that is both adequate for cities and towns and sustainable for the Commonwealth.