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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2732 FILED ON: 1/16/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3628
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
Natalie M. Blais
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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act relative to unpaved roads.
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PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Natalie M. Blais1st Franklin1/16/2025 1 of 2
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2732 FILED ON: 1/16/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3628
By Representative Blais of Deerfield, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3628) of
Natalie M. Blais relative to unpaved roads. Transportation.
[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 3270 OF 2023-2024.]
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)
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An Act relative to unpaved roads.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 The Massachusetts Department of Transportation, in conjunction with the Executive
2Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, shall convene a working group to identify and
3evaluate the safe, efficient and environmentally sound maintenance and improvement of unpaved
4(dirt and gravel) roads and paved low volume roads (LVR) in the Commonwealth.
5 The working group shall, at a minimum: develop a database of both unpaved roads and
6paved LVRs; analyze the unpaved road miles and paved LVR miles per municipality and county
7in relation to other road miles in the same municipality and county; collect data on the annual
8maintenance and improvement costs for unpaved roads and paved LVR over the previous five
9years for each municipality located in a county whose unpaved road miles total over 20% of total
10county roadway mileage; examine the potential relationship between climate change and 2 of 2
11maintenance and improvement costs for unpaved roads and paved LVRs; identify existing
12funding streams in Massachusetts available to municipalities to maintain and improve unpaved
13roads and paved LVRs; identify potential funding gaps to support the safe, efficient and
14environmentally sound maintenance and improvement of unpaved and paved LVRs in the
15Commonwealth; compile and review existing studies and reports on unpaved roads and paved
16LVRs in the Commonwealth; determine the feasibility of developing a condition rating system
17for unpaved roads and paved LVRs; determine the feasibility of developing statewide standards
18for unpaved roads; research national best practices on the safe, efficient and environmentally
19sound maintenance and improvement for unpaved roads and paved LVRs including existing
20state-funded maintenance programs.
21 The working group shall include, but shall not be limited to: the secretary of
22transportation or a designee, who shall serve as co-chair; the secretary of energy and
23environmental affairs or a designee, who shall serve as co-chair; the commissioner of revenue or
24a designee; the secretary of public safety and security or a designee; a designee of the rural
25policy advisory commission; two designees of the Massachusetts Highway Association; a
26designee of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, Inc.; a transportation planner from a MA
27Transportation Planning Organization; a designee of the University of Massachusetts Amherst
28Transportation Center; and a designee of the Massachusetts Association of Conservation
29Commissions, Inc. The working group shall hold its first meeting not later than January 1, 2026.
30 The working group shall submit its findings to the clerks of the house of representatives
31and the senate, the chairs of the house and senate committees on ways and means, the chairs of
32the joint committee on environment, natural resources and agriculture and the chairs of the joint
33committee on transportation not later than June 30, 2026.