BOSTON — Gov. Charlie Baker has signed H.69, An act financing improvements to municipal roads and bridges, which authorizes $200 million in Chapter 90 transportation funds to support all 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts.
About $7,820,310 of that will be heading to the Berkshires with the largest amount — $1.4 million — going to Pittsfield and its nearly 200 miles of roads. The second largest amount of $435,324 goes to the county's other city, North Adams, which has just over 70 miles of road. Berkshire County total has about 1,598.63 miles of locally governed roads.
Boston, not surprisingly, gets the highest amount at $14.7 million for 790 miles of road.
Apportionment is based on road miles, population based on the latest U.S. Census and employment. The program is partially funded through the gas tax.
Since taking office in 2015, and including the FY20 signed bill, the Baker-Polito administration has awarded a total of $1.14 billion through the Chapter 90 formula, including $100 million on its first day in office.
"Chapter 90 funding provides cities and towns with critical resources to carry out important projects like highway construction and road paving to improve local infrastructure in communities across Massachusetts," Baker said in a statement. "We thank the Legislature for working with our administration to pass this bill and continue our support for local officials this construction season."
Other than the extra $100 million four years ago, the amount of funding has been generally flat over the past seven years while costs have increased. Reconstructing one mile of road now hovers around $1 million and many smaller towns save up their Chapter 90 funds until they can be used more efficiently in terms of road repair or equipment.
The Massachusetts Municipal Association has been advocating for an increase in the program, estimating it would take nearly $700 million a year to properly maintain the state's 30,000 miles of local roads.
Chapter 90 reimburses cities and towns for costs incurred for eligible transportation projects. Cities and towns must submit receipts to the state Department of Transportation's Highway Division district in which they are located which verifies that the expenditures qualify for reimbursement under Chapter 90. The Highway Districts in turn submit these receipts to the Department of Transportation's Fiscal Department, which facilitates the reimbursements to cities and towns.
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Flushing of Pittsfield's Water System to Begin
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city of Pittsfield's Department of Public Utilities announces that phase 1 of the flushing of the city's water system will begin Monday, April 22.
Water mains throughout the city will be flushed, through hydrants, over the upcoming weeks to remove accumulations of pipeline corrosion products. Mains will be flushed Monday through Friday each week, except holidays, between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.
The upcoming flushing for April 22 to May 3 is expected to affect the following areas:
Starting at the town line on Dalton Avenue working west through Coltsville including lower Crane Avenue, Meadowview neighborhood, following Cheshire Road north.
Hubbard Avenue and Downing Parkway.
Starting at the town line on East Street working west through the McIntosh and Parkside neighborhoods.
Elm Street neighborhoods west to the intersection of East Street.
Starting at the town line on Williams Street, working west including Mountain Drive,
Ann Drive, East New Lenox Road, and Holmes Road neighborhoods.
Although flushing may cause localized discolored water and reduced service pressure conditions in and around the immediate area of flushing, appropriate measures will be taken to ensure that proper levels of treatment and disinfections are maintained in the system at all times. If residents experience discolored water, they should let the water run for a short period to clear it prior to use.
If discolored water or low-pressure conditions persist, please contact the Water Department at (413) 499-9339.
Flushing is an important operating procedure that contributes significantly to the maintenance of the water quality in the water distribution system.
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