Massachusetts Gov. Makes Case for Road Funding Reforms

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey is touting a proposal to change the state’s road funding formula, which currently allocates funding based on population and thus can leave out the state’s rural areas.

According to reporting by James Paleologopoulos for WAMC, “The plan involves leveraging millions of dollars collected via the voter-approved Fair Share amendment, also known as the millionaires’ tax. It also includes a five-year, $1.5 billion Chapter 90 Bond Bill filed in late-January.” The bill would raise Chapter 90 funding by $100 million annually and allocate the additional funds based on road mileage only. The Healey administration says the proposal would amount to 75 to 90 percent increases in Chapter 90 funding for over 60 rural communities.

In an address, the governor said, “For too long, the way that funding was distributed in this state - it was done according to population, and what we are proposing to do is change that, to have it done by mileage: the actual amount of roads within a given community.” Rural communities with high road usage and small tax bases were often overlooked and lacked the funds to make critical repairs to roads, bridges, and infrastructure like culverts to divert floodwater.