- Maura T. Healey, Governor
- Kimberley Driscoll, Lieutenant Governor
To the People of Massachusetts:
As we approach the end of our first term in office, we could not be prouder of the progress we’ve made together as a state. Through our capital plan, we have invested over $9 billion in the types of programs and projects that have touched every corner of Massachusetts and improved the lives of so many of our residents. These investments have gone to repair local roads and bridges, improve the safety and reliability of our public transit systems, support the construction of new homes that we need to lower costs, maintain our parks and recreation areas, and, importantly, create tens of thousands of new jobs.
The Capital Investment Plan (CIP) we are presenting for Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) builds on that progress with over $3.3 billion in new investments that will continue to drive Massachusetts forward and make meaningful and impactful improvements to our communities.
We also felt it was a good time to step back and take stock of how our administration has deployed its capital resources over the past three-and-a-half years and what we have accomplished. The result is Building Massachusetts: Capital Impact Report, a new online resource for anyone to use and explore how state capital dollars have been invested and the difference those investments are making.
Our administration has many goals for Massachusetts, but aggressively tackling our housing crisis has been at the top of the list from day one. That is why we fought so hard to pass the Affordable Homes Act and, since taking office, we have grown the size of our capital program dedicated to housing by 91 percent, with 15 percent of our bond cap going to programs that are making it possible to build new homes and make homeownership achievable for more residents. With our CIP, we've paved the way for 49,000 new homes to be built, supported more than 7,500 first-time homebuyers and released 700 acres of underutilized state-owned land for housing development. We are also investing in local infrastructure to make private development possible and have spent money to preserve and repair our public housing.
We are also focused on improving the competitiveness of Massachusetts and supporting growth in key industries to sustain a vibrant economy and ensure access to quality jobs. Though our major grant programs and Community One Stop for Growth, our CIP has supported the creation of 140,000 jobs across Massachusetts, including full-time, part-time and construction. We are growing our AI ecosystem, strengthening the life sciences through the Massachusetts Life Science Center, leveraging programs run by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center to experiment with climate-resilient housing strategies and investing in our communities from the Berkshires to Cape Cod.
Our capital plan is also a driving force behind our Administration’s historic 10-year, $8 billion plan to stabilize the financing of the MBTA, replace aging infrastructure, upgrade our roads and bridges and improve the daily experience of commuters. And we are making progress. By investing in tracks, signals and other infrastructure, we are delivering more reliable service for riders across the 177 communities served by the MBTA. Our State of Good Repair program has saved riders 2.4 million minutes of commuting time. That’s time better spent at home with family, at work, or enjoying all our cities and towns have to offer. Through the CIP, we have also helped to repair or replace 650 bridges and 420 miles of roadways, built 83 miles of sidewalk and supported our regional transit authorities to put 628 new vehicles, including accessible vans and buses, on the road.
Massachusetts’ beaches and natural landscape is a key part of what makes our state so special. That is why we must protect them. So in additional to preserving 21,000 acres of land, we have also put over $150 million into the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program since 2023, vhelping communities plan for and protect against the climate impacts of heat, drought, flooding and severe storms. We have planted 18,000 new trees and embarked on 10,000 maintenance projects across 350 parks, skating rinks and pools.
And we are taking care of our state assets and building new ones, from new courthouses in Springfield, Framingham and Quincy to deferred maintenance projects on our higher education campuses and the final redevelopment stages of our veterans’ homes. These projects ensure that our students have modernized environments in which to learn, our state employees have clean, safe buildings to come to work in, and our residents can safely and comfortably access government services they need.
The FY27 CIP updates the plan our administration published last year that built in $110 million in growth in capital spending for the fiscal year, with nearly 50 percent of that new capacity dedicated to housing. This plan is both strategic and responsible, adhering to the guidelines and recommendations of our Debt Affordability Committee.
While only minor adjustment have been made overall, the updated plan does include new funding for several new priorities, including a seed investment to help foster growth in the developing alternative proteins industry, funding 200 new dashboard cameras for State Police Cruisers and accelerating West-East Rail projects to improve corridor capacity and make additional platform upgrades necessary for expansion of Berkshire Flyer, Lakeshore Ltd, and Boston-Albany.
Though the expansion of the Commonwealth Transportation Fund capacity with Fair Share dollars, we have also been able to make significant investments to repair municipal bridge and culverts, reduce traffic congestion and enhance road safety, and upgrade transportation infrastructure necessary to support housing development. Our capital program is a critical part of our Administration’s strategy to address the biggest challenges facing Massachusetts, from housing supply and cost to economic competitiveness and climate resilience. And it’s also just one part of the equation. Our administration is continuously looking for ways, whether that’s through capital projects, our operating budget or policy, to improve the quality of life for Massachusetts residents.
I would like to thank the people of Massachusetts, whose input and advocacy helped us build this plan. We look forward to our work together as we implement this plan to move the Massachusetts economy forward, create jobs, and lower costs for all.
