Lawmakers hear broad support for House 53 to boost Chapter 90 municipal road funding

The Joint Committee on Transportation on Monday heard extensive testimony on House 53, Governor Healy's proposal to increase annual Chapter 90 aid for cities and towns from $200 million to $300 million, authorize the program for five years and direct an extra $100 million per year to municipalities based solely on road mileage. The bill also would authorize $200 million for a statewide culvert and small-bridge program and expand lifecycle investments for roads and bridges.

The proposal matters because municipal officials, state leaders and construction trades said the extra, multi-year funding would help towns and cities address a backlog of deferred maintenance, improve climate resiliency and provide contractors the certainty needed to plan multiyear projects. Governor Healy, Secretary for Administration and Finance Matthew Gokowitz and MassDOT officials testified alongside mayors, town administrators, regional planners and labor representatives.

“Thank you for the opportunity to speak before you today in strong support of h 5 3 and act financing long term improvements to municipal roads and bridges,” Chrissy Lynch of the AFL‑CIO said during opening testimony. Adam Chapdoyne, executive director of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, told the committee: “The proposal would authorize a 50% increase to the typical annual authorization for the chapter 90 program.”

Local officials provided concrete examples of need. Ryan McLean, town administrator for Carlisle, said his town faces a backlog he estimated at $9,000,000 for paving and $3,000,000 for culverts; he said those totals equal roughly one‑third of Carlisle’s annual operating budget. Kathy Warden, town administrator of Becket, said one at‑risk culvert in her town will require about $887,000 to replace as a stream‑crossing small bridge once engineering and construction are included. Jeff Colby, Yarmouth public works director, said Cape Cod communities need timely funding to preserve sidewalks, shared‑use paths and hundreds of culverts that face increased storm pressure.

State officials framed the bill as part of a broader transportation package. Governor Healy told the committee, “As governor, I believe that local infrastructure is foundational to our economy,” and said the design of House 53 grew from two stakeholder processes: the Transportation Funding Task Force and a Chapter 90 working group. Matthew Gokowitz explained the financing mechanics: the administration proposes using fair‑share surtax revenue and the Commonwealth Transportation Fund to support $1.5 billion in Chapter 90 investments over five years and to leverage additional transportation borrowing. Gokowitz said the bill would keep the existing $200 million allocation on the current distribution formula and apply the additional $100 million per year using road mileage alone to improve regional equity.

MassDOT Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver described program changes recommended by the Chapter 90 advisory group, including a five‑year authorization, new guidance and expanded project eligibility. Gulliver noted the bill also would add $500 million to an existing road and bridge lifecycle program (bringing that authorization to $1.5 billion) and authorize $185 million for safety and congestion “hotspots.”

Witnesses stressed two recurring themes: price inflation for construction materials and the value of multi‑year certainty. Multiple municipal witnesses and advisory‑group members said asphalt and aggregate costs have risen sharply in recent years (one panelist cited an increase from about $27 per ton to roughly $100 per ton over a multi‑year span), and several said annual, one‑year authorizations make it harder for towns and contractors to plan and to secure favorable bids. “A multi‑year commitment to that authorization will help plan for those longer term infrastructure projects,” Georgia Barlow of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council said.

Labor and industry groups also testified in favor. Chrissy Lynch and other union leaders said the bill would create local construction work for union members. Chuck Lapis of the Massachusetts Aggregate and Asphalt Pavement Association said a multiyear Chapter 90 allocation is “critical for both municipal planning purposes as well as for the contractors and producers.”

Small towns illustrated the scale of the shortfalls. Hatfield selectboard chair Diana Bridal said Hatfield’s per‑year Chapter 90 allotment had declined over time while hot‑mix asphalt prices roughly doubled; she estimated a mill‑and‑fill project costs about $300,000 per mile and full‑depth reclamation about $750,000 per mile. Carlisle officials told the committee that, absent state support, matching their stated five‑year capital plan would raise residential taxes by an estimated $600 per household per year over 30 years — figures they used to illustrate the local burden of deferred maintenance.

Committee members asked questions about formula choices, program design and trade‑offs. Representative Dave Linsky pressed MassDOT staff on the relationship between road usage and lifecycle costs; Administrator Gulliver said replacement costs per mile are similar even if a higher‑traffic roadway requires more frequent interventions. Senator Creighton and other members asked about the fiscal mechanics of a five‑year authorization; Secretary Gokowitz said the administration sized the proposal to leverage projected fair‑share revenue and Commonwealth Transportation Fund capacity.

No formal committee action or vote was recorded at the hearing. Multiple witnesses urged the committee to report the bill favorably and move quickly so municipalities could use funds in the upcoming construction season. The committee accepted additional written testimony and said it would continue to receive comments and analysis as the bill moves through the legislative process.