01/18/2013
MassDOT Releases 21st Century Transportation Plan
The MassDOT Board and Transportation Secretary and CEO Richard A. Davey this week announced a plan for the next generation of transportation investment in the Commonwealth: The Way Forward: A 21st Century Transportation Plan.
The long-term financing plan shows that the state needs $684 million to operate the same system we have today. The plan calls for an additional investment in our transportation assets of $5.2 billion over ten years in road and highway repair in order to reduce the number of structurally deficient bridges and ease congestion on major arteries throughout the state; $3.8 billion to invest in existing transit services; and $275 million for Registry and airport maintenance. These investments responsibly maintain the current transportation assets we have today.
In addition, the plan identifies a number of high-impact transportation projects across Massachusetts that, if built, will create thousands of jobs and spur economic development across the Commonwealth. In all, the plan identifies a $1.02 billion average additional need each year to create a 21st-Century transportation network.
“The plan released today is a stark, clear-eyed, non-partisan presentation of the facts,” said Governor Deval Patrick. “If we are serious about improving our transportation system for a generation, then we have to be willing to make the necessary investments. We must invest in transportation, not for the sake of transportation itself, but for the jobs and economic opportunity it creates.”
“Transportation is the enabling network of our economy, creating and supporting jobs in all regions of the Commonwealth,” said Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray. “The MassDOT Board has outlined how far we've come and how far we have to go to ensure a safe, reliable and regionally equitable transportation network. Now we all need to work together to make this vision a reality.”
The plan addresses systemic budget deficits at the MBTA, MassDOT and the 15 Regional Transit Authorities, much of which has been caused by the debt burden related to the Central Artery.
“We have spent the last year engaging our customers, the business community and various stakeholders in a conversation about what kind of transportation system they want,” said MassDOT Secretary and CEO Richard A. Davey. “What is clear is that we can’t afford the system we have today, much less the system we all want. This plan clearly articulates our vision for a 21st-Century Transportation system and the steps we must take to achieves that.”