Governor Healey Signs $1.185 Billion Transportation Infrastructure Bond Bill

Governor Maura Healey has signed a $1.185 billion transportation infrastructure bond bill that will provide North Reading with $779,807.17 in state Chapter 90 funding assistance to help maintain its roads and bridges.

House Bill 4307, An Act financing long-term improvements to municipal roads and bridges, was recently enacted by the House on a vote of 156-0 and by the Senate on a vote of 39-0, with the support of House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (R-North Reading) and Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester). The bill was signed into law on August 8 as Chapter 17 of the Acts of 2025.

While previous Chapter 90 bills have typically allocated a total of $200 million annually to cities and towns, House Bill 4307 increases that amount to $300 million for Fiscal Year 2026. When this funding is distributed, $200 million will be allocated to municipalities using the traditional three-prong formula that is based on the weighted average of each community’s local road mileage (58.33%), population (20.83%) and employment (20.83%), with the remaining $100 million allocated based strictly on local road mileage.

Representative Jones and Senator Tarr noted that North Reading will receive $515,646.23 using the traditional Chapter 90 funding formula and will receive an additional $264,160.94 in state funding based on road mileage alone.

“Cities and towns rely on their annual Chapter 90 allocations to help maintain their local transportation infrastructure and ensure that it remains in a state of good repair,” said Representative Jones. “I’m pleased the House and Senate agreed to expand the program’s funding this year so communities like North Reading can prioritize additional projects to help make our roads and bridges safer for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians.”

“Safe and efficient roads and bridges are essential to our economy and our quality of life and providing them is a priority for cities and towns,” said Senator Tarr. “That priority comes with a substantial cost, and state partnership helps to meet that cost so that road and bridge projects can move forward. While the legislature continues to consider spending items of many types, Chapter 90 funding is, and should remain, an essential target for state investment.”

The Chapter 90 program was created by the Legislature in 1973 to help cities and towns offset the costs associated with the construction, repair and maintenance of local roads and bridges. This funding, which is provided annually on a reimbursable basis, can also be used for related transportation infrastructure work such as sidewalks, traffic signalization and street lighting.

In addition to the $300 million in Chapter 90 funding, House Bill 4307 also authorizes $885 million in bond funding to support three non-Chapter 90 transportation-related initiatives, including:

• $500 million for the bridge and pavement lifecycle asset management program, which assists communities with non-federally aided roadway and bridge projects;
• $200 million for modernization and resilience upgrades to municipally owned culverts and small bridges; and
• $185 million for statewide capital projects aimed at easing congestion and improving safety through multimodal infrastructure improvements.