Governor Healy and other state officials visited Brockton’s BAT Center to highlight a proposed $8 billion House 1 transportation investment and to celebrate recent gains at regional transit authorities across the Commonwealth.

The administration said the plan would invest in roads, bridges, flood protection, commuter rail and regional transit and stressed the measures would not require new taxes. "No new taxes. No new taxes," Governor Healy said, describing the proposal as a way to use the state's bond rating and financing to expand infrastructure over the next 10 years.

The administration framed the investments as tied to everyday quality-of-life and economic access. "Reliable transit isn't a luxury. It is an absolute necessity," Monica Tibbetts Knott, secretary of transportation, said, urging continued local investment in service and vehicles. Officials credited federal funds and recent state allocations with restoring and expanding service.

Why it matters: State officials said the proposed spending and recent actions have produced measurable increases in regional transit ridership and service in communities such as Brockton. The administration highlighted fare-free programs, new service hours, and capital funding as drivers of ridership growth and local mobility for workers, students, seniors and patients.

Officials and local transit leaders at the event outlined the recent mix of funding and service changes. Governor Healy said the administration "brought back $9 million in federal funding" for infrastructure and transportation projects and that the administration provided state funding that made all 13 regional transit authorities (RTAs) fare-free beginning last year. The governor also announced $160 million in tax credits for affordable housing statewide and said the credits include about 440 new housing units expected in Brockton.

A representative of Brockton Area Transit (BAT) described the local service increases tied to the added funding. The BAT representative said the agency doubled weekend frequencies, added more than 100 weekday trips and is now "averaging well over 11,000 riders a day," and is "on pace to complete at least 4,000,000 passenger trips this year." The BAT representative added that the system is witnessing a ridership high not seen in at least 25 years.

State officials credited the 2022 Fair Share amendment and subsequent targeted allocations by the Legislature and governor for creating new revenue streams for transit and other priorities. Secretary Tibbetts Knott said House 1 builds on those commitments, calling the $8 billion plan "an $8 billion investment in roads, bridges, culverts, regional transit, and the MBTA." She said the administration has set a team to apply for federal funds and to deploy resources where they "really matter."

Local and regional transit leaders from several RTAs were named as attending the event, including Mike Lambert, Noah Berger (Merrimack Valley), Eric Russo (Southeastern Regional Transit Authority), Mary Ellen De Frias (Greater Attleboro RTA), Chris Cooney (Metro South Chamber) and Bill Mitchell (Massasoit Community College). Mary Waldron of the Old Colony Planning Council and rail-and-transit division staff — Meredith Schlesinger and Tom Chiavone — were also acknowledged for their roles in securing funding and coordinating service.

What officials did not present at the event was a final legislative approval: House 1 is a budget proposal and would require further legislative action. Officials repeatedly described the plan as a proposal and emphasized implementation steps such as deploying federal grants, capital projects and local service expansions.

The visit underscored the administration's argument that investments in transit and housing are mutually reinforcing: officials tied transit improvements to economic opportunity, access to medical care and expanded access to schools and jobs. The administration framed the transportation plan as designed to support all 351 municipalities in the Commonwealth, while also noting that regional transit authorities serve roughly 74 municipalities.

Officials said they intend to continue coordinating with local partners to deploy funds and expand service, but did not provide a detailed implementation timetable at the event.