Many funding grants are only for increasing pedestrian traffic these days

Because the state only cares about boston

I love that they didn't bother addressing the craters and pot holes down on the Holyoke side of route 5 but they put a "road diet" on the other side where the McDonalds is. I turn right onto route 5 at that intersection going towards 57 nearly every day for work and watching people drag race at the McDonalds light so they can be "first" before the lanes squeeze down to one seems significantly MORE dangerous than it was. I understand people had a hard time pulling out of their driveways and side streets there but now it's one lane and people are doing like 80mph+ to try and be first to the next rotary entrance. Not sure the road diet was the right answer there but I'm not a civil engineer.

It is a state jurisdiction

Mass DOT only cares about the Boston area that’s why. It’s not town jurisdiction so the town can’t do anything on it.

Seriously though you can drive through newton $$$$$ and see the same thing. I mean seriously...it is like I'm adventuring in the white mountains....

Your pullups are full, its Great Woods.

Don't despair! The 4% increase in tax revenues from the 1% should be ample funding to repair these roads.

/s

We all know all that money goes directly to the T. And then they'll tell us "we should be using public transportation to help preserve our roads."

Serves 10% of the state's population, gets 90% of the funding.

No worries, when the money from the millionaires tax starts rolling in it'll get taken care of.

I was replying to the OP. We had a house fire in 2017 and had to rebuild.

In the fall I drove from Webster to Burrillville, RI. My Jeep was not happy

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Whining about being able to afford a custom build in MA, wtf

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Yeah Tiffani could cook you under the table

Pretty sure Craigslist labeled this south shore which always felt wrong

Chapter 90 is a state law that defines how state highway funds are distributed to local MA communities. It isn't MassDOT or federal highway funds.

Each year the state legislature appropriates (passes a budget with) a certain amount of money for MassDOT and for chapter 90.

MassDOT and sometimes individual communities can (and do) also apply for federal highway funding for projects. It is sometimes a bit more complicated - big projects are usually a mix of state and federal funds (plus sometimes local funds), and MassDOT also plans for a certain amount of federal highway funds each year (much like towns plan for a certain amount of chapter 90 funds). But we sunk many years of what would be MA's federal highway allotment to pay off the big dig, which probably put us way behind on federal highway funds available for the rest of the state.

As the top comment says, US numbered highways are not maintained by the federal government. US route 5 is just a federal designation for maps to help people get around, not any federal claim of ownership or responsibility for repairs.

US 5 might be locally owned or state owned - or even a mix; even if the towns own the "road", often the state owns/maintains the bigger bridges. Who owns it pretty much defines who is responsible for maintaining it. If the state, then MassHighway (for example, they definitely own I91). If the local town owns it, then it is the local town that needs to fix it, either through chapter 90 funds, local tax funds, or they can apply for a federal grant (often hard to get, you are competing with everyone else in the US).

But in the end - your local planning office, highway department, or state rep might be the best people to ask about who is responsible for fixing US5, and to ask why it isn't being fixed.

Hope that helps a little.

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>I know it’s a hot take but neither Springfield or West Springfield have a real waterfront district

When I think about it, I'm struggling to think of anywhere on the CT river that has much of a waterfront district. Maybe Holyoke where it's been heavily engineered?

May be because it's a silty, shallow river that's not really navigable.

Hartford has parks by the river, but they regularly flood.

In the pioneer valley it's just farmland (much of it restricting access) and out of the way boating.

Turners falls has on park above the dam and decaying industry and path along the canal below

Brattleboro has maybe one restaurant with a deck overlooking it but other than that it's rail yards and lumber, on the NH side it's just abandoned rails/trail with Hinsdale on a bluff far away and above.

This is why I drive a jeep.

Historically being skipped by the railroad meant the commercial death of a city, people (especially in the cities that won the railroads) likely assumed the same would be true of the interstates.

Turned out of course to be more the opposite - you want good access to one, but to NOT have it going right through the city chopping it up.

Which states are you driving into?

Or, certainly not into Connecticut!

Rt 9 in Hadley is pretty awful as well

Good and inventive food doesn't have to be expensive. Few of our restaurants create experiences.

For my money I would take Peach Farm and Gourmet Dumpling house over any of the overpriced Caesar salad that litter the city. Give me a glass of wine and a few different cichiettes at SRV over the 7 course tasting menu most days.

My point isn't that there isn't good food. There isn't a scene.

And the north shore roast beef sandwich is the best regional sandwich in the country.