Boston's road to a smoother commute just got a $100 million boost, thanks to the Healey-Driscoll Administration. The financial injection, stemming from the Fair Share Amendment revenue, is aimed at enhancing the state's infrastructure by doling out funds to its 351 cities and towns for transportation improvements. "Our administration said from day one that we were going to make sure the Fair Share revenue was used to improve transportation and education for our communities, as the voters intended," Governor Maura Healey declared in a statement obtained by Massachusetts official news portal.
The fresh funding serves as a testament to the administration's commitment to affording municipalities the means to tailor these funds to their distinct infrastructure necessities. Lt. Governor Driscoll, a former mayor herself, understands the urgency of such support. "This funding, will be a critical boost for them to move forward on projects like bridge preservation projects, improving Regional Transit Authority service, and expanding multi-modal pathways," Driscoll said.
Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt, spoke to the wider impact of these investments, noting that boosting transportation translates to lifting everyone up. According to the administration's announcement, it heightens accessibility and ensures safer travel for pedestrians, cyclists, public transit users, and drivers alike.
Matthew J. Gorzkowicz, the Secretary of Administration and Finance, is eager to witness the fruits of these newly allocated resources. "I’m excited to see these important funds for transportation go out to our cities and towns to support their infrastructure needs," he said. The novel distribution process divides the $100 million pot into two portions, based on a traditional Chapter 90 formula and a road mileage share formula, with discrepancies in the amounts each community receives reflective of these calculations.
Cities don't have to jump through hoops to get the money, as the apportionment is already incorporated into existing MassDOT contracts. Andover, Barnstable, Framingham, Lawrence, and several other cities have been named as recipients, with varied amounts specified for each. Details on the funds and how they have been parceled out to communities can be found on the Massachusetts government website.
On the ground, these funds are poised to make tangible changes — constructing highways, bike lanes, and safer pedestrian crossings, they promise to reshape the transportation landscape of each city, catering to an expansive array of infrastructure projects.
