Ipswich and Rowley to Receive Chapter 90 Funding for Road and Bridge
IPSWICH AND ROWLEY, MA — The towns’ state legislative delegation has secured over $1.3 million in funding for local road and bridge projects.
Ipswich will receive $866,665, and Rowley will get $485,136, according to Sen. Bruce Tarr’s office.
Tarr and Rep. Kristin Kassner secured the funds through the Chapter 90 bill (H.4307), which provides annual funding for road and bridge work. They also obtained additional money through a supplemental budget (H.4227) that uses revenue from the state’s surtax on income over $1 million.
Gov. Maura Healey signed the Chapter 90 bill into law on August 8 and the supplemental budget on June 24.
“Safe and efficient roads and bridges are essential to our economy and quality of life, and providing them is a priority,” Tarr said. “That priority comes with a substantial cost, and state partnership helps meet that cost so road and bridge projects can move forward.”
“Chapter 90 funding is and should remain a key focus for state investment,” he added.
Chapter 90
Created in 1973, the Chapter 90 program helps municipalities cover costs for building, repairing, and maintaining local roads and bridges. Towns and cities can also use the funds for construction, preservation, and improvement projects.
Previous Chapter 90 bills typically allocated around $200 million annually, but H.4307 increases that to $300 million for Fiscal Year 2026.
Of that, $200 million will be distributed through the traditional three-prong formula based on each community’s road mileage (58.33%), population (20.83%), and employment (20.83%). The remaining $100 million will be allocated based solely on road mileage.
In addition to the Chapter 90 funding, H.4307 also authorizes $885 million in bond funding to support transportation-related initiatives.
“Many of our rural towns have more miles of roadway than people or businesses and fewer resources to pay for their upkeep,” Kassner said. “This bill literally doubles the road and bridges maintenance funding for small towns and will be transformational for communities in our district.”
Kassner thanked Gov. Healey for initiating the bill, as well as legislative leaders for “addressing the needs of small towns.”
