BOSTON - Funding for long-delayed repairs to the John Greenleaf Whitter and the Groveland bridges would be secured within the next three years under a plan floated yesterday by state Treasurer Timothy Cahill.
He is proposing that the state borrow against future federal highway funds to get money now to pay for repairs to 10 bridges among 500 in the state that were cited as "structurally deficient" in a report released during the summer by the Patrick administration.
The bridges have not been maintained because the state hasn't identified a way to pay for the work in the wake of the Big Dig.
The Whittier Bridge on Interstate 95 spans the Merrimack River and is crossed more than 75,000 times a day. In August, state officials said the 53-year-old bridge is safe but is considered to be "functionally obsolete."
The state estimates it will cost $132 million to replace the bridge and add two lanes to its current six-lane design. MassHighway estimates that project will take three years, but it currently plans to first fix the Hines Bridge spanning Amesbury and Deer Island, a project that will shut the bridge down entirely for at least two years. MassHighway officials have said they would likely stagger the projects to minimize impact on traffic.
The Hines Bridge project was initially scheduled to begin in the spring of 2007.
The Transportation Finance Commission last year reported that the Big Dig is responsible for Massachusetts having $20 billion in unmet road and bridge maintenance.
Cahill warned the state should act now to come up with the money for the repairs rather than waiting until after the Big Dig has been paid for in 2015. Waiting would make the projects more expensive, and the cost could reach $1 billion. By borrowing now when interest rates are falling and construction costs haven't risen, Cahill said the state could save hundreds of millions of dollars.
While saving money is his angle, Cahill said the motive for pitching the borrowing plan is public safety.
"If we wait to 2015 to address these bridges, there's a good chance one of them will be closed at that point or even worse," Cahill said. "But they'll be guaranteed they'll cost a lot more money."
The estimated cost to replace the 101-year-old Groveland Bridge, crossed more than 21,000 times a day, is $75 million.
"It's an opportunity to leverage what the federal government is giving us," Cahill said yesterday. "It's a win-win situation."
The combined price tag for repairing or replacing the 10 most expensive bridges is $690 million.
Under the plan, Cahill would have the state borrow $600 million by issuing tax-exempt municipal bonds. The state would pay the rest out of its own funds.
The state would repay the bond holders through federal highway money it would receive in future years. Cahill would borrow all of the money over three years, and not borrow more than 20 percent to 30 percent of federal highway money due the state between 2015 and 2021. The state would begin repaying bond holders in 2015, after the Big Dig debt has been paid off.
Any borrowing needs to be approved by the Legislature and the Patrick administration.
Sen. Steven Baddour, co-chairman of the Legislature's Transportation Committee, credited Cahill with trying to tackle a difficult problem.
"I'm glad that people other than traditional transportation folks are talking about transportation," said Baddour, a Methuen Democrat.
Baddour, who hadn't seen the details of Cahill's plan, said he wasn't ready to pass judgment on it, although he said he preferred it to the Transportation Finance Commission's major recommendation for paying for transit repairs.
"If it pushes off raising the gas tax, it's a good thing," Baddour said.
