Press Release: 2/25/2026

March 3 hearing set for bond bill with Ch. 90 funding

 

The Legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation will hold a hearing on March 3 on a transportation bond bill filed by the governor that includes $1.2 billion over four years for the Chapter 90 local road and bridge maintenance program.

The hearing will be from 1 to 5 p.m. in room A-2 at the State House and virtually.

The governor’s bond bill, filed on Jan. 23, would authorize $300 million per year for Chapter 90 — matching this year’s record total — to address critical transportation and infrastructure projects in municipalities. The bill supports the governor’s transportation funding plan.

The bond bill would also authorize:

• $200 million for transportation improvements that support expanded housing development

• $200 million for a new Parkway Resilience Improvement and Safety Modernization investment program to repair, improve safety, and enhance the resilience of transportation infrastructure under the care and control of the Department of Conservation and Recreation

• $500 million for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s Bridge and Pavement Lifecycle Asset Management Programs, designed to improve bridges and pavement on an accelerated schedule

• $200 million for the MBTA’s Rail Reliability Program

Along with the filing of her transportation bond bill, Gov. Maura Healey announced the launch of a Funding for Accelerated Infrastructure Repair program for local transportation infrastructure projects. Supported by revenue from the Fair Share amendment (an income surtax on earnings above $1 million), the new program would allocate $75 million to help municipalities address a significant backlog of local bridges in urgent need of repair.

Written by Violet Gehr, MMA Legislative Analyst