New Bill Would Give $4.5 Million To Foxborough Traffic Project

FOXBOROUGH, MA — Massachusetts lawmakers gathered in Foxborough on Wednesday to advocate for legislation which would budget $3.5 billion in investments to "support the Commonwealth’s path forward into a post-pandemic world."

The legislation, called An Act Investing in Future Opportunities for Resiliency, Workforce, and Revitalized Downtowns (FORWARD), includes $2.3 billion in funding from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and $1.256 billion in capital bond authorizations. The funding would be directed toward projects to strengthen state infrastructure, create jobs, and invest in all 351 cities and towns in the Commonwealth, a news release said.

The legislation would also provide more than $4.5 million for the Walnut Street Signal and Sewer Project. It includes both the installation of a traffic signal at the intersection of Commercial Street at Walnut Street to address traffic operations and safety concerns and the installation of approximately 3,100 feet of sewer line, to ultimately unlock a 16-acre parcel owned by the Foxborough Housing Authority (FHA) for up to 250 units of affordable housing.

FHA has worked with MassDevelopment to develop a request for proposals to secure a developer for the parcel, the news release said.

Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito, Economic Development Undersecretary Ashley Stolba, and Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Undersecretary Gary Moran were joined by Foxborough Town Manager Bill Keegan and other state and local officials at the news conference. The news conference was held at the Foxborough Community Farm Stand.

"The FORWARD Act assesses the needs of every Massachusetts city and town and then provides them with the resources they need to transform and improve our infrastructure, workforce, and communities,” said Governor Charlie Baker.

“This proposal is a long-term strategy that will accelerate our transition to a post-pandemic world and increase our communities’ economic potential by making critical investments towards the future."