Citing an expected $20 billion deficit the commonwealth’s transportation system is expected to incur in the next 20 years at the current pace, the transportation secretary announced a plan yesterday at the State House to create new projects to repair Massachusetts’s roads and highways that would hopefully decrease the projected deficit.
Transportation and Construction Secretary Bernard Cohen proposed a plan that would be spread over the next five years at a hearing of the Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets, and he said the plan should be in the hands of top Patrick administration officials by May 11.
“We have the opportunity to take a fresh look and broaden our basic funding support,” he said. “We need to think about new investments and weigh the cost of building new projects.”
Cohen said between 30 and 40 percent of non-federally funded highways in the commonwealth are in fair or poor condition.
“We need reinvestment to bring them to a state of good repair,” he said.
About 500 bridges that have been deemed “structurally deficient” would be up for repair, Cohen said, adding the bridges are not unsafe, but they show signs of wear that mean eventually, the commonwealth will have to reduce the maximum amount of weight allowed on them.
Two-hundred of those bridges are already undergoing renovations, he said, explaining the proposal would expand the number of bridges being repaired, and it would also extend the MBTA Green Line.
Though several state senators requested more information, Cohen was slim on details and said the Executive Office of Transportation is working on a more detailed schedule for improvements, and a longer-term bond bill is expected in July.
The Office must first examine consequences of transportation policy, pricing and possible investments, he said. ”
“It’s a gauging thought process,” Cohen said.
Committee chairman Sen. Mark Montigny (D-Bristol) told Cohen at the hearing the public is unlikely to favor the proposal, labeling the Massachusetts Turnpike and Big Dig a “sinking ship” that has lost widespread support.
“The Turnpike is chronically and acutely ill, and getting worse,” he said, adding any extra rebuilding efforts the projects may need are fast losing public support.
He said although he is glad Massachusetts has an administration now willing to create a plan to fix the struggling transportation system, he wants to see more details of how funding would be distributed.
Rep. Steven Walsh (D-Essex) probed Cohen to provide details about possible tax increases that might come as a result of the plan, but Cohen’s answers were vague.
“There are discussions about a wide range of revenue sources,” he said.
“Everything is on the table,” he added, “and right now, we are trying to be open-minded.”
Cohen said the commonwealth is also planning to partner with authorities in neighboring states to expand the commuter rail to Connecticut and Rhode Island through Worcester and other Massachusetts cities, and will meet with Rhode Island officials in the next two weeks to discuss the project.