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Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
Gov. Maura Healey (seated, center) signs FY24 Chapter 90 bond bill today at an event at Lowell City Hall.
Alongside key stakeholders at events in Lowell and Amesbury today, Gov. Maura Healey signed a $375 million transportation bond bill that includes $200 million for the Chapter 90 local road and bridge program for fiscal 2024.
The Legislature’s compromise bill includes $175 million for seven transportation-related grant programs. One highlight is a $25 million authorization for a supplemental municipal road formula program to offer additional support to rural communities. The new program’s formula will be calculated based on road miles, population, and whether a municipality is considered rural (population below 10,000 and population density below 500 people per square mile).
The law also authorizes $25 million for each the following multi-year transportation-related accounts:
• Municipal Pavement Program
• Municipal Small Bridge Program
• Complete Streets Funding Program
• Municipal grants for infrastructure focused on the enhancement of mass transit by bus
• Funding for the study, design, construction or improvements that increase access to mass transit and commuter rail stations
• Grants to municipalities and regional transit authorities to support fleet electrification
Gov. Healey initially filed a fiscal 2024 Chapter 90 bill in January that would have authorized two years of funding at $200 million per year. The bill was revised by the Joint Committee on Transportation, and the Legislature enacted a compromise bill on July 27.
A bond terms bill will need approval before the Massachusetts Department of Transportation can reimburse municipalities for qualifying expenses.
Additional supplemental municipal road and bridge funding is included in the fiscal 2024 state budget bill enacted by the Legislature on July 31. The budget bill includes $100 million for municipal road and bridge funding, at least half of which will be distributed based on road miles, with the remainder distributed based on the Chapter 90 formula. [Update: The governor signed the budget bill, with the additional road funding, on Aug. 9.]