Waltham City Councilor Calls For More Road Funding

Waltham City Councilor Robert Logan, along with an organization that advocates for municipalities, is calling for more funding for road maintenance and repair.

Logan, along with the Massachusetts Municipal Association, called for additional $100 million in additional funding to supplement the $200 million the state already spends, according to the MMA website. A recent MMA report claims the state needs to spend at least $362 million to adequately maintain roads. 

“Funding for local roads across the state is dangerously low,” Logan, who also serves as the MMA President. said during a Dec. 18 press conference at the State House, according to the MMA website. "And now is the time to invest. The more we delay, the more this will cost taxpayers in the long run."

Waltham spent $1,562,462 in Chapter 90 funding this year, according to the state Department of Transportation.

According to the MMA, Massachusetts would have to spend $562 million annually to adequately repair and maintain roads. Cities and towns, however, spend far lass than that figure.

Overall, the Chapter 90 program through which the state provides road funding, disburses $200 million annually, far less than what is required to adequately maintain roads, according to the MMA. Specifically, the MMA is calling for an additional $100 million. 

Providing additional funding would have several benefits. It could save taxpayers money by fixing roads for less money earlier rather than waiting to perform more costly repairs later, according to the MMA. Additional funding could also help bolster economic development.