BOSTON (07/01/2021) – Joining her colleagues in the Massachusetts State Senate, Senator Cindy F. Friedman (D-Arlington) voted to pass legislation to invest $300 million in municipal transportation projects and selected statewide transportation infrastructure projects. The bill, An Act financing improvements to municipal roads and bridges, authorizes $200 million for municipal roads and bridges through the chapter 90 program and $100 million to support statewide projects to address congestion, support electric vehicle infrastructure, and improve public transit.
“The Senate’s Chapter 90 proposal ensures that our transportation systems are safe and accessible as travel and traffic increase as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Senator Friedman. “The robust investments appropriated to the 4th Middlesex, in particular, will strengthen local infrastructure and support our communities’ overall well-being.”
The bill includes the following local investments:
City/Town | FY 2022 Apportionment |
| Arlington | $784,626 |
| Billerica | $1,325,478 |
| Burlington | $1,092,064 |
| Lexington | $982,231 |
| Woburn | $1,251,922 |
The bill includes the following statewide components:
- $200 million in chapter 90 funding for cities and towns for projects to maintain, improve, and repair roadways, bridges, sidewalks, and bikeways.
- $25 million for the Municipal Small Bridge Program to support replacement or preservation of structurally deficient local bridges critical to local communities and not eligible for existing federal aid programs.
- $25 million for the Local Bottleneck Program to address localized traffic bottlenecks and invest in infrastructure to reduce congestion, improve traffic flow, and reduce idling and greenhouse gas emissions.
- $25 million for Electric Vehicle (EV) infrastructure to support municipalities and regional transit authorities in their efforts to install EV infrastructure and purchase EVs and zero-emission vehicles.
- $25 million for Transit-Supportive Infrastructure to create dedicated bus lanes, enhance bus stops and train stations, support passenger safety, upgrade technology and modernize infrastructure to meet demand and increase frequency of public transit services, and improve access to public transit.
The legislation must now be reconciled with legislation passed by the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
###