The unofficial state flower, the ubiquitous orange road cone, should be in full bloom on the streets and roads of the Commonwealth this spring. That’s because Lawmakers squared away negotiations on a $200 million dollars bond bill for cities and towns to pay to pave roads, fill potholes and take on other road repair projects.
After some disagreement between the branches, the Legislature signed off Wednesday on funding for local road repair projects.
But with the state’s road infrastructure crumbling, Transportation Chairman Sen. Tom McGee told his colleagues the $200 million isn’t nearly enough, according to municipal officials:
“To truly get to state of good repair in local roads and bridge, we should be spending $740 million dollars a year. So the state of our roads and bridges is in crisis stage,” McGee said.
There was dissention between the House and Senate over this bill. House leaders preferred that the bill fund one year of road services, but the Senate’s version called for a two-year span to give cities and towns longer to plan.
In the end, the Senate compromised and sided with the House’s single year plan in order to get the funds out for springtime road projects.
The bill also contains $60 million dollars for the RMV and $30 million for regional transportation for the elderly, a Senate priority.
The House approved the compromise plan last week. With the unanimous Senate vote Wednesday, the bill is now on Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk, where he is expected to sign it into law.
