Joint Transportation Committee hears broad support for House 53 to boost Chapter 90 funding

At a hearing of the Joint Committee on Transportation, municipal officials, labor leaders and state officials urged support for House 53, Governor Healy’s proposal to increase annual Chapter 90 funding for local roads and bridges from $200 million to $300 million and to authorize the program for five years.

The bill would raise Chapter 90 support by 50% and set aside $100 million of the increase to be distributed on the basis of municipal road mileage; it also proposes a $200 million program for culverts and small bridges and would total $1.5 billion for Chapter 90 over five years, administration witnesses said.

Proponents told committee members the proposal addresses decades of deferred maintenance, provides more predictable multi‑year funding for municipal planning and construction contracting, and targets aid to rural and small towns with long road networks and limited local revenue. "This bill also puts a special focus on regional fairness, supporting small towns and regional in rural communities," Governor Healy said in testimony before the committee.

"These investments will put union members to work across the Commonwealth," Chrissy Lynch, president of the AFL-CIO, told the committee. "We applaud Governor Healy for taking action…