Senate Committee Moves Transportation Bond Bill

BOSTON – The Senate Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures, and State Assets chaired by Senator Brian A. Joyce has reported out a Transportation Bond Bill that will provide long-term stability to Chapter 90 funding for municipalities while saving Massachusetts taxpayers $518 million. The bill will authorize $300 million for Commonwealth cities and towns every year for the next five years, enact reasonable reforms, and decrease the borrowing period from 30 years to 20 years which will save $518 million. The bill also creates a committee to oversee mitigation for affected communities should the South Coast Rail project commence. Additionally, the legislation contains $21.4 million in potential projects for the town of Milton.

“This bill will allow our municipalities to plan long-term improvements and repairs to their infrastructure and make our communities more attractive to businesses,” said Joyce. “Further, the bill de-authorizes $2 billion in stalled and unused spending authorizations.”

The bill authorizes transportation and infrastructure spending over the next five years. Some of the major projects included in the Senate Bonding version of the bill are the MBTA Green Line extension, the expansion of South Station, a knowledge corridor rail line in Western Mass, and the South Coast rail project.

State assistance for local road and bridge projects in Milton would equal $4.66 million over the next five years, which is a 50 percent increase over the current year’s appropriation. The legislation also contains a total of $21.4 million in spending authorizations for the town of Milton. The authorizations are broken down as:

• $10 million for design, road reconstruction, aesthetic improvements, signalization, sidewalks, and safety improvements on Granite Avenue from Adams Street (East Milton Square) to the Boston line;

• $10 million for completion of road, sidewalk, aesthetic improvements, and pedestrian and bicyclist safety measures to the Blue Hills Parkway;

• $1.25 million for drainage, roadway improvements, design, road reconstruction, aesthetic improvements, signalization, sidewalks, and safety  improvements for Route 28 from Randolph Avenue to Blue Hills Parkway, and;

• $200,000 for the implementation of additional opticon monitors on intersections and fire trucks.

Joyce cautioned that these authorizations have not yet been passed into law and that agreement by the House and Governor will be needed to result in the funds coming to the town. The bill now heads to the Senate Committee on Ways and Means.