After a winter that battered pavement across Massachusetts, drivers fed up with tire-biting craters might finally catch a break. On Thursday, Governor Maura Healey signed a transportation funding bill that locks in fresh state support for local road repairs and small bridge work. The measure is designed to push cash out to municipalities quickly so public works crews can repave neighborhood streets, fill deep potholes and shore up aging spans. Local public-works departments, stretched by an unusually harsh freeze-thaw season, say the new money should help speed long-delayed projects, and residents will likely start seeing repairs this summer.
In a press release, Mass.gov says the new law includes $300 million for the Chapter 90 local roads program and an additional $200 million for transportation projects that help unlock housing. Local reporting by The Eagle-Tribune noted the signing and emphasized that the extra funds are intended to help cities and towns repave streets that suffered freeze-thaw damage this winter.
What Lawmakers Authorized
The Legislature’s fact sheet for H.5375 lays out a broader bond package that authorizes roughly $2.74 billion in borrowing for transportation, including targeted money for lifecycle pavement and bridge work, culvert resilience and MBTA projects, according to the Massachusetts Legislature. That fact sheet breaks the bill into program pots, including $500 million for MassDOT lifecycle asset management, $200 million for housing-supporting infrastructure and other authorizations that top up the state’s capital toolbox.
How The Chapter 90 Money Will Reach Your Town
Under the plan, $200 million of the Chapter 90 boost will be distributed through the traditional formula that weighs local road mileage, population and employment, and $100 million will be distributed based only on road mileage, in line with the state’s Chapter 90 apportionment guide. The MassDOT FY27 apportionment table publishes the exact amounts for each of the Commonwealth’s 351 municipalities and lets towns download a spreadsheet with their projected shares.
Why Towns Say This Matters Now
Municipal leaders have been sounding the alarm all spring as 311 lines and DPW hotlines filled with pothole reports after a brutal winter. Local coverage shows cities such as Springfield activating extra pothole crews and Somerville ramping up patching plans. Western Mass News quoted DPW officials describing the damage as widespread.
The Massachusetts Municipal Association hailed the enactment as a practical win for municipal budgets and urged towns to begin planning projects now so crews and contractors are ready when apportionments are released. The MMA also encouraged officials to use MassDOT’s apportionment tools to prioritize safety fixes, resurfacing and sidewalk work that will make the most immediate difference for residents.
