House Passes Chapter 90 Transit Funding With Vitolo’s Support

BROOKLINE, MA — The Massachusetts House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday that will add $200 million for local transportation funding through Chapter 90 and $150 million in funding for complete streets, bus transit, mass transit and commuter rail stations, and other transportation programs.

The Chapter 90 Program provides municipalities with annual funding to improve and invest in local transportation networks. The $200 million in funding from the bill will be added to the Massachusetts Transportation Trust Fund and distributed to each municipality.

“I was excited to vote in support of a Chapter 90 bill that provides local funding to make our streets safer for all roadway users and to improve our public transportation system,” said Brookline Representative Tommy Vitolo in a statement. “Thank you to Chair Straus and my colleagues in the House for their work to create a bill that improve transportation across the Commonwealth.”

The bill invests $30 million in the complete streets program, $25 million for the improvement of bus transit, and $25 million for the improvement of mass transit and commuter rail stations. It also allocates $40 million for the improvement and construction of non-federally aided roadways and $30 million for the municipal small bridge program.

“I look forward to seeing this funding put to work in Brookline where it will help clear out the current backlog of transportation projects,” said Brian Kane, Chair of the Brookline Transportation Board, in a statement. “I am grateful to Representative Vitolo who has strengthened the partnerships between the town and the State.”

The legislation now moves to the Senate before reaching the Governor’s Desk to be signed into law.