Gov. Charlie Baker has signed a $50 million highway financing bill aimed at helping small towns to repair municipally-owned bridges that are less than 20 feet long and not otherwise eligible for state or federal highway funds.
According to state Rep. Paul Mark, Baker signed the bill Wednesday afternoon, at a small ceremony in Baker’s office.
Baker said this program in particular has tremendous value to many municipalities.
“It’s a public safety issue for a lot of these communities and they really are a barrier to helping move people and vehicles around. So we feel like we’ve solved a big issue for a lot of the smaller communities … especially those in western Mass.,” said Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito.
The highway bill also authorizes $750 million in highway funding and reforms the “Complete Streets” program to make it easier for towns and cities to make its road improvements for pedestrians and bicycles.