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 to make real tangible investments in this critical infrastructure to correct a decade of underinvestment." Lynch and other labor witnesses connected the spending to job stability in the construction trades.

Adam Chapdoyne, executive director of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, described how the bill would change apportionment and planning for cities and towns. "The proposal would authorize a 50% increase to the typical annual authorization for the Chapter 90 program," he said, and noted the bill would run for five years while adjusting the distribution formula to improve regional equity.

Local officials gave concrete examples of need. Ryan McLean, town administrator of Carlisle, said his town faces a $9 million backlog for paving and $3 million for culverts; Mike Collins, commissioner of public works for Beverly, said his city previously supplemented Chapter 90 with local funds but that uncertain federal policy and materials costs have made planning and contractor commitments more difficult. "Chapter 90 used to represent a small portion of our paving program," Collins said. "This is a critical step for us and we really appreciate the support."

Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and administration witnesses outlined additional elements of the package. Matthew Gwekowitz, secretary for administration and finance, said the bill would be paired with other budget and revenue proposals to support the Commonwealth Transportation Fund and borrowing capacity that can finance the multi‑year plan. "The bill increases annual support for municipalities by 50%, reaching $300,000,000 annually," he said. MassDOT Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver described program changes recommended by an advisory group and said the proposal includes an expanded lifecycle asset management commitment and dedicated culvert funding. "Chapter 90 gets to the heart of that," Gulliver said.

Speakers representing regional planning agencies and rural communities emphasized culverts and drainage as a distinct need driven by extreme weather. Linda Dunlavy of the Franklin Regional Council of Governments said replacing stream‑crossing culverts can cost roughly $1.2 million per crossing and that many rural municipalities lack the capacity to pay such costs without state assistance.

Several municipal leaders cited the planning benefits of multi‑year authorization. Mayor Michael Nicholson of Gardner said his city would receive roughly $450,000 over five years under the bill and called the increase "game changing and historic" for municipalities with large road networks.

Witnesses also urged the committee to consider complementary revenue options for transportation and to expedite any favorable report so municipalities can use funds in the upcoming construction season. No formal vote on House 53 occurred at the hearing.

The committee heard from a wide range of stakeholders—including the AFL-CIO, Massachusetts Municipal Association, MBTA Advisory Board, regional planning councils, MassDOT, the administration, municipal highway superintendents, and industry associations—who repeatedly requested the five‑year authorization and the mileage‑based component for the additional $100 million as ways to improve equity and planning certainty.

If reported out, the bill would not change the traditional $200 million distribution formula for the initial allocation; rather, testimony described a dual‑formula approach that keeps the baseline distribution intact while applying a mileage‑only allocation to the added $100 million each year.

The committee accepted written testimony and may hold further deliberations; witnesses asked legislators to act quickly to allow municipalities and contractors to plan for the coming construction season.