Governor Maura Healey told the Charles River Chamber meeting that the state has secured substantial federal funds and is deploying them to improve transportation, with recent wins already under way and further investments planned.

Healey said her administration’s federal funds office helped bring approximately $9,000,000,000 in federal funding to Massachusetts in recent years, much of which has been directed to transportation projects. "As a result, we moved from 34th in the country to seventh in the country... in the amount of infrastructure investment that we were able to make," she said.

The governor cited several concrete projects and milestones:
- South Coast Rail service resumed, providing service to Fall River and New Bedford for the first time in more than 70 years.
- A $67,000,000 federal grant to upgrade accessibility for the Newtonville commuter rail station and Green Line accessibility improvements.
- A plan to invest $8,400,000,000 over the next 10 years in transportation infrastructure, including a 50 percent increase in funding for local roads and bridges and additional funds for culvert repairs.

Healey emphasized that the state's transportation funding strategy aims to avoid new taxes while leveraging existing revenue and federal grants to stabilize MBTA finances and fund large projects. She also said the administration has focused on leadership changes at the MBTA and Department of Transportation and cited removal of slow zones and the launch of new lines as evidence of progress.

The governor asked chamber members to support continued investment and noted these projects' expected effects on local traffic, commuter access and economic activity.