Ipswich, Newbury, and Rowley to Receive Funding for Local Road and Bridge Projects

Ipswich, Newbury, and Rowley to Receive Funding for Local Road and Bridge Projects
FY’25 Funding is included in $375M transportation infrastructure bond bill
Regional – Governor Maura Healey has signed H.4529, An Act financing improvements to municipal roads and bridges granting Ipswich $437,677, Newbury $265,986, and Rowley $238,091 in Chapter 90 road and bridge funding as part of the $375 million municipal transportation bond bill recently enacted by the House and Senate with the support of Senate Minority Leader Bruce E. Tarr (R-Gloucester) and Representative Kristin Kassner (D-Hamilton).
The legislation includes a total of $375 million in bond authorization, through which every city and town in the Commonwealth would receive a share of $200 million in funding to be used on maintenance and construction of roads and bridges. Separately, $150 million would be allocated equally to six programs targeting specific transportation infrastructure.
“This infusion of funds comes at the beginning of the construction season, putting significant resources in the capable hands of Ipswich officials to make the most of that season with projects to deliver better, safer, and more resilient roads and bridges for residents and visitors,” said Tarr.
“This year’s Chapter 90 roadway and bridges funding is critical to our transportation network,” said Kassner. “I am so pleased that this year’s funding includes funding for rural areas, as well as, our largest cities, and includes additional grant funding for streetscape improvements and safety enhancements along our roadways and pedestrian networks.”
Established in 1973, the Chapter 90 program provides funding to cities and towns on a reimbursable basis, using a formula that considers the weighted average of a community’s local road mileage (58.33%), population (20.83%), and employment (20.83%). Communities can use this funding to pay for a variety of construction, preservation, and improvement projects, including installing sidewalks, bicycle lanes, and crossing signals.
Of the $375 million in total authorizations, the legislation would allocate $25 million to each of the following programs that target specific infrastructure areas:
• Municipal Pavement Program, which focuses on the improvement of municipally owned state numbered routes.
• Municipal Small Bridge Program, which provides financial support to cities and towns for small bridge replacement, preservation, and rehabilitation projects.
• Complete Streets Funding Program, which provides funding to municipalities for streets that provide safe and accessible options for all travel modes such as walking, biking, transit, and vehicles.
• Municipal Bus Enhancement Program, which provides grant funding to build out infrastructure related to mass transit by bus.
• Mass Transit Access Grant Program, which provides grants for design and construction improvements to access commuter rail stations or other mass transit stations, such as parking lots, drop-off and pick-up zones, bike storage infrastructure, and electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
• Municipal/RTA EV Grant Program, which provides grants to Regional Transit Authorities and municipalities for the purchase of electric vehicles and related charging equipment.