Administration urges $1.185 billion authorization for roads, bridges and local Chapter 90 aid

State transportation and budget officials told the Joint Committee on Bonding, State Assets and Capital Expenditures on July 21 that they support House Bill 4257, a proposal to authorize $1,185,000,000 in transportation investments for municipalities and statewide projects.

Jonathan Gulliver, State Highway Administrator, told the committee, “This bill proposes a total authorization of $1,185,000,000 to support both municipal and statewide transportation priorities,” and outlined the bill’s main elements: $300 million for the Chapter 90 local-aid program (split as $200 million via the traditional Chapter 90 formula and $100 million allocated by local road mileage), $500 million for bridge and pavement lifecycle asset management, $200 million for culvert and small-bridge modernization, and $185 million for congestion and multimodal safety projects.

Why it matters: committee members and municipal representatives said the funding would provide predictable, flexible resources towns rely on to plan and deliver road and sidewalk work. Caitlin Connors, Assistant Secretary for Capital at the Executive Office for Administration and Finance, said the central proposal increases Chapter 90 support to $300 million annually and would allow the state to…