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Date: 3/29/2023
SPRINGFIELD – Several roadway infrastructure projects throughout the city will be bolstered by $3.6 million in state Chapter 90 funds after the allocation received approval from the City Council during their March 20 meeting. Roughly $200 million in Chapter 90 funding was distributed statewide for fiscal year 2024.
DPW Director Christopher Cignoli explained that the city has received a “stagnant” amount from the fund over the last 11 years. This year, the city will utilize a majority of the funding, approximately $2.8 million, for paving programs. Additionally, $561,000 will go toward design services, $150,000 will benefit roadway maintenance and $100,000 will fund traffic signal improvements.
Cignoli expects a plethora of roadway reconstructions to occur throughout 2023. He said the city is finalizing an extensive bid package for pavement projects.
“We will be putting out a bid package of almost $8 million in paving for this year,” said Cignoli.
The DPW will begin paving “within the next 10 days or so.” Cignoli shared that the department plans to complete a few leftover projects from 2022, such as paving on Liberty and Edgewood streets, before starting on their 2023 slate this summer.
“The work that’s going out to bid in April is expected to start on June 1,” said Cignoli.
City Councilor At-Large Justin Hurst asked if some streets could receive immediate attention due to their deteriorating status. He referenced seeing discarded hubcaps on the road while driving through Pine Street.
“When I went by it just yesterday, you can’t even drive through it,” said Hurst.
Cignoli said the DPW will start patching some streets before the end of the month to address some of the city’s degrading streets. One of the streets will be Island Pond Road, which can’t receive substantial improvements until 2024 due to ongoing work by the Water and Sewer Commission.
“We’re going to be out and doing a bunch of patching to make sure that road is suitable for this year,” said Cignoli in reference to Island Pond Road.
In his presentation, Cignoli also expressed concerns with the infrastructure funding the city is receiving. He shared that he and local leaders “were shocked” after the city received the same annual Chapter 90 allotment following Gov. Maura Healey’s campaign commitment of awarding more infrastructure support.
“Us and every municipality statewide needs more money from the state on this. Right now, this work is buying us 50 percent of what it did … There were a lot of promises made for infrastructure during the campaign that did not come to fruition,” said Cignoli.
Mayor Domenic Sarno expressed the same concern to the state’s Joint Committee on Transportation in a written testimony during their March 7 meeting.
“Municipalities like Springfield have seen an increase in the cost of road projects due to inflation and an increase in the cost of goods and materials. In order to properly maintain and enhance our extensive roadways across the commonwealth, it is vital that local municipalities receive the necessary funding from Chapter 90,” said Sarno.
Cignoli expressed his hopes that the state leaders, including the local state delegation, can help advocate for more Chapter 90 Funds. He said the topic was stressed during the mayor’s regular meetings with local delegates.
“We were adamant over the additional funds that were needed … We are trying to be as aggressive as we can,” said Cignoli.
The City Council approved the state’s Chapter 90 Fund allocation in a unanimous vote.