Rep. Turco secures millions in funding for Winthrop and Revere

Special to the Journal

The Massachusetts House of Representatives passed a transportation and infrastructure bill authorizing $10.9 billion for projects, including $2.8 billion for highway upgrades across the Commonwealth and $1.4 billion for sustainable transit modernization. Additionally, State Representative Jeffrey Rosario Turco (D- Winthrop) secured over $2 million dollars to fund projects specifically benefitting residents of both Winthrop and Revere.

As part of a wider strategy to mitigate the negative effects of the ongoing construction in the Sumner Tunnel, Rep. Turco successfully obtained $1,000,000 to finance the design and construction of additional ferry service vehicle parking at the town landing in Winthrop. In another major coup, Turco won $500,000 for the implementation of safety improvements to the notoriously congested intersection between Bennington Street and Winthrop Avenue in the Beachmont section of Revere. The representative then scored a victory for Yirrell Beach and the residents of the Point Shirley neighborhood, obtaining $450,000 for the design, engineering and construction of an environmentally appropriated parking lot along Shirley Street to support community use of Winthrop’s most popular beach. Lastly, Turco secured a $60,000 earmark to fund the purchase of a new electric vehicle for the Department of Public Works in Winthrop.

“All and all, I am thrilled with the final version of this bill,” said Rep. Turco. “Not only does it address some of the Commonwealth’s most pressing infrastructure needs by enhancing our highways, bridges and public transit systems, but it allocates significant funding to projects in Winthrop and Revere. I am especially excited about the $1,000,000 to build out the Winthrop public landing. With the Sumner Tunnel project slated to continue into 2023, this money is truly critical for Winthrop.”

The transportation bond bill, officially known as “An Act relative to Massachusetts’s transportation resources and climate” (H.4897), passed the House of Representatives 155-0. It now moves to the Senate for further consideration.