Bill > S1646

This bill aims to create a more financially stable, safer, and modern transportation system across Massachusetts, aligning with state policies on economic health, the environment, and social and regional fairness. Key provisions include prohibiting the use of capital funds or borrowing for operating expenses within one year to ensure that borrowing capacity is used for infrastructure projects, and requiring the Secretary of Transportation to conduct a comprehensive analysis for any transportation project costing over $15 million. This analysis must assess the project's impact on greenhouse gas emissions, vulnerable populations (seniors, people with disabilities, low-income residents, and people of color), economic development (especially in gateway municipalities and environmental justice neighborhoods), travel times, pedestrian and bicycle access, and operational costs, ensuring consistency with state environmental and public health goals. Furthermore, the bill mandates the Secretary of Transportation to develop a plan to triple travel by bicycling, transit, and walking by 2030, including establishing baseline measurements and annual progress reports. It also requires that an equitable portion of new transportation revenue be allocated to each of the 13 regional planning areas, based on population and jobs, and that a sufficient portion be dedicated to maintenance, with evaluations and adjustments every five years. Finally, the bill directs the Secretary to develop a program to provide funding for gateway municipalities and environmental justice neighborhoods for transportation planning, design, healthy transportation investments, complete streets projects, or transit-oriented development with affordable housing.