The Massachusetts legislature concluded its two-year session with the passage of a transportation bond bill on January 5. The transportation measure authorizes $16.5 billion in road and bridge projects around the entire state over the next 10 years. Rep. Bill Straus (D-Mattapoisett), House co-chair of the Joint Committee on Transportation, was one of six House-Senate conferees who negotiated the final terms of the new legislation now awaiting Governor Baker’s signature.
The final legislation authorized MassDOT to expend funds on a number of local Tri-Town projects, including $500,000 for improvements at the North Street intersection with Route 195 in Mattapoisett; $725,000 for new traffic lights and signals on Route 6 in front of Mattapoisett’s police and fire stations; $400,000 for improvements at the intersection of Route 6 and Spring Street in Marion; $1,350,000 for the development of shared-use paths in Marion and Wareham, and $1 million for improvements on Bridge Street in Fairhaven.
“After extensive negotiations, I am pleased that the House and Senate were able to reach an agreement on a comprehensive transportation bill that not only allows the state to continue to focus on its state of good repair needs, but will authorize funding for other major local projects such as the completion of South Coast Rail ($825 million), which is already under construction to New Bedford and Fall River, and the initial design and permitting of a replacement for the New Bedford-Fairhaven Bridge on Route 6,” said Rep. Straus.
The legislature also enacted an important local Mattapoisett bill filed by Rep. Straus, at the town’s request, that would permit the town to properly assess commercial solar installations as taxable property. The bill had been passed by the House last February and was taken up by the State Senate in the final days of the two-year session for the legislature. Proper assessment of commercial solar panels will be fair to Mattapoisett and the reason this legislation was approved by Town Meeting prior to submission to the bill in the Legislature by Rep. Straus.
With further regard to the Mattapoisett Solar legislation, Kathleen Costello, the Town’s property assessing administrator, noted, “The bill provides a streamlined way to verify energy producing capacity in town-located solar arrays, and promotes fair and equitable taxation of those commercial properties.” She added, “I and the town very much appreciate the efforts of Rep. Straus to get this long-needed legislation passed for Mattapoisett.”