State House Delegation Secures $4.1 Million For Reading Initiatives

House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (R-North Reading), State Representative Richard M. Haggerty (D-Woburn), and State Senator Jason M. Lewis (D-Winchester) have secured $4,135,000 in targeted funding for the Town of Reading as part of an $11.3 billion transportation infrastructure bond bill that contains funding for hundreds of local, state and regional projects across Massachusetts.

House Bill 5151, An Act relative to Massachusetts’ transportation resources and climate, also known as the MassTRAC bill, was enacted in the House and Senate on July 31 and is now on Governor Charlie Baker’s desk for his review. The bill builds on legislation originally filed by Governor Baker on March 17 to take advantage of the funding opportunities contained in the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) signed last November.

Local earmarks for Reading secured by the Town’s legislative delegation include:

• $3,750,000 for improvements to the Haven Street corridor;
• $200,000 for the installation of a new traffic signal and pedestrian crossing improvements at the intersection of Lakeview Drive and Walkers Brooks Drive;
• $125,000 for implementing the initial phase of the Birch Meadow Master Plan, including the restoration of wetlands areas and the installation of several electric charging stations; and
• $60,000 for the purchase of an electric vehicle to assist with the general operations of the Department of Public Works and enhance the department’s emergency response capabilities

The legislative delegation noted that the four earmarks for Reading represent preliminary approval for these projects and indicated there is currently no firm timeline for when this funding will be released to the Town. Because these projects would be supported through bond appropriations rather than cash, they must still be worked under the state’s annual borrowing cap and will take some time to come to fruition.

“While this is only the start of what will likely be a lengthy, multi-year approval process, the inclusion of these projects in the MassTRAC bill helps to highlight some of Reading’s most critical transportation needs,” said Representative Jones. “I will continue to work closely with Representative Haggerty and Senator Lewis to advocate on the Town’s behalf and do everything we can to ensure that these projects can move forward with state funding assistance as expeditiously as possible.”

“I was pleased to join the Reading delegation in fighting for these important infrastructure dollars to be included in the MassTRAC bond bill,” said Representative Haggerty. “Local and state officials must now continue advocating to have these funds released and utilized for our community.”

“It's great news that the state legislature has passed this major infrastructure legislation, combining both state and federal dollars, that will enable significant improvements to transportation and other infrastructure across Massachusetts,” said Senator Lewis. “I will continue to advocate together with Representatives Jones and Haggerty for the release of these funds for local Reading projects.”

Governor Baker has until August 10 to sign the MassTRAC bill into law.