Executive Order  No. 457: Extending the Commonwealth's commitment to the statewide road and bridge program

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth will have significant funding responsibilities for the Central Artery / Tunnel (CA/T) Project well after its scheduled completion in 2005, and is scheduled to allocate over $1.5 billion to the CA/T Project from the date of its scheduled completion through state fiscal year 2012; and

WHEREAS, these funds in large part would otherwise have been invested in the Statewide Road and Bridge Program, which has critical investment needs in all regions of the state; and

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth must maintain its own transportation infrastructure while continuing to pay for the Central Artery / Tunnel Project; and

WHEREAS, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation and Construction has the statutory responsibility, under Chapter 6A of the General Laws, to coordinate the activities and programs of the state transportation agencies and serves as the principal source of transportation planning in the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, the Massachusetts Highway Department (MassHighway) has the statutory responsibility under Chapter 16 of the Massachusetts General Laws for the construction, maintenance and operation of the state roads and bridges; and

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth is committed to providing a strong and vital Statewide Road and Bridge Program; and

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth has embarked upon an ambitious program to reduce the number of structurally deficient bridges as a means to improve public safety; and

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth is committed to geographic equity in providing resources toward statewide infrastructure improvements; and

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth, under its Fix-it-First policy, will need adequate funding to maintain existing transportation infrastructure in a state of good repair; and

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth has initiated a Communities First policy that promotes projects with community-friendly designs; and

WHEREAS, the Executive Office of Transportation & Construction has developed evaluation criteria to enhance fiscal responsibility and objective decision-making; and

WHEREAS, the responsibilities of the Massachusetts Highway Department range from roads and bridges to bicycle and pedestrian facilities, demand management techniques, park and ride facilities, commuter assistance vans, and advanced technologies such as Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) to reduce congestion; and

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth's economy, environment and quality of life are inextricably linked with the quality of its transportation system; and

WHEREAS, sound investments in transportation infrastructure now have benefits that extend well into the Commonwealth's future;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Mitt Romney, Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, by virtue of the authority vested in me as Supreme Executive Magistrate, do hereby order as follows:

The Executive Office of Transportation and Construction and the Massachusetts Highway Department shall maintain a Statewide Road and Bridge Program, exclusive of the Central Artery / Tunnel Project, that will include a sufficient number of advertised projects that shall result in a minimum annual expenditure of $400 million through state fiscal year 2012 for construction activities and transportation project activities, as defined in the Memorandum of Understanding revised on June 6, 2000 by the Task Force of State and Regional Officials to Define, Develop, and Monitor a Balanced Statewide Road and Bridge Program. Such minimum annual expenditure shall be contingent upon the Massachusetts General Court providing sufficient capital authorization for such Statewide Road and Bridge Program.

Given at the Executive Chamber in Boston this 10 day of February in the year of our Lord two thousand four, and of the Independence of the United States of America two hundred and twenty eight.

Mitt Romney
Governor

WILLIAM FRANCIS GALVIN
SECRETARY OF STATE