The state senate voted on April 12 to approve a $490 million, two-year local road repair funding bill, $400 million of which will fund the state’s Chapter 90 program.
On April 6, State Senator Julian Cyr announced that $8 million of the $200 million allocated for fiscal 2018 will go to towns on Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket.
On the Vineyard, Aquinnah will receive $35,376, Oak Bluffs $196,440, Chilmark $65,241, Tisbury $143,645, Edgartown $239,560, and West Tisbury $82,645.
“Ask any Cape Codder or Islander who drives — they will tell you we have urgent repair needs for local roads and bridges that cannot wait,” Mr. Cyr said in a press release.
Established in 1973, the state’s Chapter 90 program allocates money to cities and towns using a formula based on the weighted average of a municipality’s population, employment, and total road miles. The funds are paid out as reimbursements to communities for qualifying projects, including resurfacing, guardrails, right-of-way acquisition, landscaping, and purchasing road-building machinery.