Governor Healy announces $8 billion transportation funding proposal, chapter 90 and culvert investments for rural towns

Governor Healy on Thursday outlined a proposed transportation funding plan he said would allow the state to spend $8,000,000,000 over 10 years on roads, bridges and resilience projects while increasing annual Chapter 90 municipal aid by $100,000,000 and directing new money to culverts and small bridges.

The proposal, described at a gathering in Conway with state and local officials, would use existing voter-approved surtax revenue as leverage to access capital and expand annual municipal aid. "That's no new taxes. Okay? That's dealing with existing revenues and smart fiscal management," Healy said, adding that the plan would shift how Chapter 90 money is distributed: "we are proposing to do is change that to have it done by mileage, the actual amount of roads, within a given community."

The plan also calls for a $200,000,000 program for culverts and small bridges to improve flood resilience and additional investments in regional transit authorities and micro-transit solutions, officials said. "For Conway, that means 82% more in funding, critical support to recover from class flooding, and to build stronger and more resilient infrastructure…