State Must Match Federal Funding for Westwood to Pay for Highway Projects

The longtime I-95/I-93 interchange project near Westwood Station may be drawn out even longer if Massachusetts can't find the funding to finish it, Congressman Stephen Lynch told the Westwood Board of Selectmen Monday night.

Completion of the entire $250 million project, including Westwood Station, is expected by 2026, as opposed to 2016 as originally thought, Lynch said.

But the biggest hurdle is that in order to receive further funding for the project from the federal government, the state must now match the cost to show its commitment.

"Where we stand right now is, for whatever appropriation coming out of the federal government, there's a state match," Lynch said. "So, we need a signal from the governor that the $250 million that would be required for the entire interchange project would be matched by the state. The federal government puts this requirement not to just share the burden (of the cost), but to make sure that a locality wants these projects.

"Until we have a solid commitment from the state that says this $250 million project is one that we absolutely need and is a top priority for us, there will be a great reluctance from the federal government to provide any more resources to it," Lynch said. "That's just the way the system works."

While the state might not be ready to match such a big sum, Lynch noted that Gov. Deval Patrick has already earmarked $55 million for the projects in and around Westwood Station, which include infrastructure improvements and to help with the project itself.

"However," Lynch said, "He's got problems all over the state – bridges need to be repaired, roadways that are bordering on collapse – and there's no money in some of those areas, so he's really conducting a triage."

The process, as it now stands, relies heavily on the Highway Trust fund, which Lynch said is funded through the state's gasoline tax. The problem with that, he elaborated, is that the gas tax is currently affected by two factors.

The first is that there is less money going into the highway trust fund these days, and the second is that with more energy-efficient cars on the market, gas isn't being consumed as much as it was before those cars hit the market

At this point, Lynch said, the state is waiting on the governor's signal to move forward with the projects.

What's more, the town has until September 30, 2011 to utilize $3.8 million that was first given to the town in 1998 when the project began under the guise of former Congressman Joe Moakley.

That fact surprised members of the Board of Selectmen, though they still noted

"You've been on top of this since you've been a congressman," said Patrick Ahearn, third member of the Board Selectmen.

Lynch said that he will continue to make appearances at future Westwood Board of Selectmen meetings to provide updates on funding for the projects as they evolve.