Joint Committee Hears Case for $4 Billion Municipal Roads and Bridges Bond Bill

BOSTON — April 7, 2026 — Massachusetts lawmakers heard testimony on a $4 billion-plus municipal roads and bridges bond bill as construction season begins. The Joint Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets took testimony Monday on House Bill 5279, with MassDOT Undersecretary of Transportation Policy Samantha Silverberg and Undersecretary of Administration and Finance Jennifer Sullivan urging swift passage. The core of the measure is $300 million in annual Chapter 90 road aid for fiscal year 2027, split between a traditional formula allocation and $100 million distributed by road mileage to benefit rural communities. The bill also includes $200 million each for MBTA commuter rail modernization, housing-linked transportation improvements, and a new DCR parkway repair program called PRISM. Sullivan noted CTF bonds backing the program carry triple-A ratings and that pledged revenues totaled approximately $1.3 billion in fiscal year 2025. Massachusetts Municipal Association Legislative Analyst Violet Gare told the committee that municipalities are collectively responsible for 30,000 miles of roads and bridges, and that delayed repairs "would only make them more expensive."