BILLERICA — U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan and town officials announced Wednesday that Billerica will receive more than $9.6 million in federal funding from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act for the ongoing project to rehabilitate Boston Road.
The sounds of construction permeated in the background from the very project the federal funding is meant to pay for as Town Manager John Curran touted the benefits of rehabilitating Boston Road. The rehabilitation of the busy road is meant to improve safety for drivers and pedestrians, increase traffic efficiency and improve infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians.
As the construction on Boston Road continues, Town Meeting members in Billerica will be thinking about whether to vote for another project to renovate the nearby town center, which is estimated to cost $20 million. The town center project will be on the warrant for the fall Town Meeting next month.
“What we hope in the future is that we will connect these two projects in the middle,” said Curran.
Trahan said that while infrastructure is rarely the most exciting thing to talk about or highlight, it is immensely important to the function of local communities.
“It is so much more than filling a few pot holes, as you well know. It is about the safety of our community. It is about setting the groundwork for economic development and vibrancy of a community,” said Trahan. “If we can’t rely on the structural integrity of our major roadways, like Route 3A, then we can’t use them for corridors of development.”
