MMA urges legislators to boost Ch. 90 funding to $300M annually

At a Feb. 24 hearing before the Joint Transportation Committee, the MMA urged legislators to act quickly on a transportation bond bill filed by the governor that includes $200 million for the Chapter 90 local road and bridge program for the upcoming construction season.
 
The MMA also asked committee members to amend the bill to include a multi-year Chapter 90 component with $300 million per year, indexed to inflation, to help cities and towns implement long-term plans to maintain local roads and streets in a state of good repair.
 
The governor’s Chapter 90 recommendation falls short of the $300 million in spending authorized last year. The MMA argues that investing more in Chapter 90 would ultimately save taxpayers money. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, once a local road is in a state of good repair, every dollar invested to keep it properly maintained saves $6 to $10 in repair costs that would become necessary to rebuild the road if it failed due to lack of maintenance.
 
“An analysis by the MMA in 2014 documented that cities and towns across the state need to spend at least $639 million every year to maintain and bring 30,000 miles of local roads into a state of good repair,” the MMA testified. “Currently, municipalities spend far less because of inadequate resources and because, for most cities and towns, Chapter 90 is the main or sole source of funds for road construction and repair.”
 
The MMA argued that a multi-year Chapter 90 program “would significantly improve the ability to plan at the local level,” enabling more efficient use of the funding.
 
The association also urged legislators to enact a new Chapter 90 authorization by the customary April 1 deadline “in order to avoid costly delays and a shortened construction season.”
 
In addition the $200 million for Chapter 90, the bond bill filed by Gov. Charlie Baker on Feb. 12 (H. 4010) includes $50 million over five years for a new small bridges program and additional funding for the state highway program.
 
The small bridges program would help municipalities fix or replace small, municipally owned bridges, of which there are approximately 1,300 in Massachusetts. The bill would provide funding for the design, construction, preservation, reconstruction and repair of, or improvements to, non-federally aided bridges and approaches with a span length of no more than 20 feet.
 
The MMA expressed strong support for the new bridge program.