Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker Pledges More Money for Road Repairs, Projects
Gov. Charlie Baker is pledging more money to help cities and towns across Massachusetts fix potholed roads and decaying bridges, but municipal leaders say the money won't go far enough to address the state's myriad transportation woes
Baker has filed a proposed $200 million bond bill that would be divided among the state's 351 municipalities to repave roads and pay for other transportation projects. The Republican's proposal also would create a $50 million statewide bridge repair fund to help cities and towns fix bridges not eligible for federal assistance.
“Every city and town depends on access to these flexible transportation funds, and these investments will ensure municipal improvements remain front and center," Baker said in a statement.
But Baker's proposal falls short of the $300 million in Chapter 90 funding next year that cities and towns are seeking, said Geoff Beckwith, executive director of the Massachusetts Municipal Association.
“We need to have an adequate level of resources to be able to maintain the roadways," Beckwith said. "This is a crucial source of funding."
Beckwith said communities need to know further in advance how much money they will get — including in local aid disbursements — so they can plan for capital improvements. Municipal leaders have been pushing for a multiyear bond bill, he said, but lawmakers have so far rejected that proposal.
In the current fiscal year, Haverhill received more than $2.2 million in Chapter 90 funding while Lawrence got more than $1.8 million, according to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Newburyport received more than $776,860, and Salem got $862,217, according to MassDOT.
In Gloucester, city officials get about $670,000 a year in Chapter 90 money, which paves a few miles of roadway every year, said Public Works Director Mike Hale.
“We only get a fraction of what’s needed to bring our public roads to a good standard,” Hale said. "Like most communities, our needs are greater than our resources."
Baker has diverted tens of millions of dollars to cities and towns to fix potholes and crumbling roads since taking office last January. One of the Republican's first actions as governor was to release $100 million in Chapter 90 transportation funds that were tied up by infighting between lawmakers and his predecessor, Gov. Deval Patrick.
But the Baker administration acknowledges that the state will be pressed to figure out how to address myriad transportation needs, and that will mean making tough choices about which projects to fund. The administration faces a projected $635 million spending gap in its fiscal year 2017 budget, which goes into effect July 1.
Massachusetts needs another $1 billion a year in the next decade to maintain and upgrade its deteriorating roads, according to a recent state report. The state also must find a way to spend $684 million a year for road maintenance, which includes annual operating costs, the report found.
Money for Chapter 90 funds comes from the state’s gas tax, which was increased to 24 cents per gallon in 2013 and generates $50 million to $60 million a month, according to the state Department of Revenue. Communities take a slice of the money based on population and the number of miles of roads within their borders.
Lawmakers raised the tax by 3 cents, collecting another $7 million to $8 million a month, and tacked on a provision pegging future increases to inflation. State officials said doing that would raise $183 million more for road and bridge upgrades in a decade.
But voters overwhelmingly approved a measure to undo gas tax indexing in the November 2014 election.
Baker supported the Republican-led repeal, despite the money it would have generated, because it amounted to an "automatic tax increase."
“We still have a huge transportation funding gap that needs to be addressed,” said Kristina Egan, director of Transportation for Massachusetts, a coalition of groups pushing for increased transportation funding. “We need to make some critical investments going forward to help cities and towns that are struggling to pay for it.”
