Feds Reject State Transpo Plan
by Galen Moore, Boston NOW
December 21, 2007
The Federal Highway Administration has rejected Massachusetts State Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP) - a list of highway improvement projects planned through 2011 - saying the state does not have enough cash on hand to pay for the projects.
The Dec. 5 rejection letter, obtained this week by BostonNOW, means critical highway projects will stall if the state legislature does not act before spring to pass a transportation bond bill proposed late last month by Gov. Deval Patrick.
"That's a very serious concern," said Marc D. Draisen, executive director of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. "The list of critical projects exceeds the financial resources available, and that has to hurt the economic competitiveness of the Commonwealth."
Draisen said he's confident legislators will act quickly.
"It has to be passed quickly," said Rep. Carl Sciortino, D-Medford, who sits on the legislature's Transportation Committee. Sciortino sent a letter on Thursday to House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi, D-Boston, seeking swift passage of the bill.
In a written statement, officials in the Executive Office of Transportation said an April emergency bond bill will carry current projects until the spring.
"The STIP denial letter is not causing any delays," the statement said. "It does, however, reinforce the need to pass this bond bill."