WEST SPRINGFIELD – The Senate has approved funding for infrastructure improvements in municipalities across the state – with almost $850,000 being allocated to West Springfield.

On April 11, the branch passed a $600 million investment of Chapter 90 funding for local road and bridge repairs. The funding will be dispersed over the course of three years, authorizing $200 million per year. The state’s Chapter 90 program, which was enacted in 1973, helps cities and towns fund qualifying road and bridge maintenance projects that are keys to economic development and quality of life.

The purpose of the legislation is to allow communities to plan more effectively at the local level by brining predictability and certainty regarding funding authorizations and timing, according to state Sen. James Welch.

“In New England, many of the roads – depending on the weather and time of year – get potholes and need repairs,” he said. “So, in the Senate, we passed this three year, Chapter 90 funding to try to give municipalities some predictability from year to year about how much they are able to spend, rather than waiting every year. Now, they will know ahead of time that when construction season starts, they will have the funding.”

The amount of money is similar to the amount that was passed last year, he explained to Reminder Publications. However, the $200 million was only approved for one year of funding in FY2018.

Chapter 90 funds are allocated using a longstanding formula based on community road miles, population and employment. The expected FY2019 apportionments include:

• $1,334,849 for Chicopee

• $3,682,135 for Springfield

• $849,092 for West Springfield

Welch added that he thinks it’s important to invest in maintaining local bridges and roads.

“We can all see how challenging it is to keep our local roads in great shape year after year. We have old infrastructure here in New England, and it’s important to the people that are paying their tax money to the communities and to the state,” he said. “We want to make sure their tax money is being brought back to their local communities and being spent on local projects, like fixing the roads and making sure they are passable. It’s a basic part of government and something the tax payers expect to be done – and done well.”

In 2014, the Massachusetts Municipal Association conducted a statewide survey claiming cities and towns need at least $639 million per year in order to maintain roads in a state of good repair.

The bill will now be reconciled with a version passed by the House of Representatives. Welch said the House passed a one-year investment of Chapter 90 funding, versus the three-year plan recently approved by the Senate.

“In past years, I think we did a two-year plan and they [the House] did a one-year plan and we ended up comprising with the one-year plan,” he said. “So, this year we did a three-year plan with some room to compromise to a two-year plan.”

Once a compromise is reached, it will move to the Governor’s desk for final approval.