Representatives Haggerty, Ciccolo support bill providing $1,268,029 in road and bridge funding for Woburn

BOSTON – Woburn is set to receive $1,268,029 for local road and bridge repairs in Fiscal Year 2020 under a Chapter 90 bond bill supported by Representative Richard M. Haggerty (D-Woburn) and Representative Michelle Ciccolo (D-Lexington).

The funding for Woburn was included in a $200 million bond authorization approved unanimously by the House of Representatives on a vote of 156-0 on May 8.

“This appropriation will provide Woburn with the resources it needs to repave local roadways and upgrade infrastructure,” said Representative Haggerty. “I was pleased to vote in favor of this aid to assist our communities in keeping our roads safe and complete local paving projects.”

“One of the most important functions cities and towns carry out is maintaining their roads in a state of good repair, said Representative Ciccolo. “Regular and routine road maintenance helps to reduce more costly repairs down the line when needed upkeep is deferred. As such, I am pleased to have joined my colleagues in supporting this bond authorization, and I will continue to advocate to increase this line item for our municipalities.”

Ratified by the Legislature in 1973, the Chapter 90 program appropriated funding on a yearly basis to cities and towns using a formula that incorporates the weighted average of a municipality’s population, employment, and total road miles. The funding dispersed as reimbursements to communities for qualifying infrastructure work.

Chapter 90 funds are able to be spent on a various municipal roadway projects, including resurfacing, drainage, sidewalks, guardrails, traffic control, right-of-way acquisition and street lighting. This funding can also be used for bike paths, tree planting and landscaping associated with certain projects, along with purchasing and maintaining certain road building machinery, equipment and related tools.

The Chapter 90 bond bill now moves to the Senate for further action.