Healey hands out $100M in ‘Fair Share’ dollars for transportation upgrades

The Healey administration handed out $100 million in “Fair Share” dollars to the state’s 351 cities and towns Friday for transportation upgrades, with Boston raking in more than $5 million.

Gov. Maura Healey left intact a plan Beacon Hill lawmakers approved in the fiscal year 2024 budget to spend $477 million of the expected $1 billion in revenue from the “Millionaires Tax” or “Fair Share Amendment” on transportation needs, including the MBTA and preserving highway bridge infrastructure.

Healey said her administration was “going to make sure that Fair Share revenue was used to improve transportation and education for our communities, as the voters intended.”

“This funding is particularly impactful because we are empowering cities and towns to decide how to use it to address their unique needs. We are grateful to the Legislature for making this funding available and look forward to seeing how the municipalities will use it to strengthen their communities,” she said in a statement.

Officials are distributing $100 million in revenue from the 4% surtax on incomes over $1 million based on two formulas.

The first $50 million is being handed out using a traditional roads and bridges formula — local road mileage, population, and employment. The second $50 million is heading out the door based on each municipality share of road mileage, the Healey administration said.

Municipalities can use the money for construction, preservation, and improvement projects “that create or extend the life of capital facilities.”

“This includes costs for highway projects and pedestrian and bicycle facilities. Projects that are eligible would include installing sidewalks, bicycle lanes, new pavement, sidewalks, retaining (walls), crossing signals, and other transportation infrastructure features,” the Healey administration said in a statement.

Worcester collected more than $1.7 million while Springfield was handed more than $1.6 million, according to figures provided by the Healey administration.

Letters were sent to each city and town certifying their share of the income surtax apportionment for fiscal year 2024, the administration said.

“Investments in transportation lift everyone up, increasing access to travel options and improving roadway safety for all users, regardless of whether they walk, bike, take public transportation or drive,” Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt said in a statement.

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