The Big Dig swallows highway funds

Here’s a question from the Massachusetts gubernatorial debate last night:

I want to talk about the Big Dig just quickly. We [in Western Massachusetts] used to receive $40 million a year for road repair before the Big Dig. During the height of the construction, it was cut to $3 million- cut 90 percent- and now we're up to about $15 million, still less than a third of what we should be getting, and what we need, and again, this is not for a fancy project, this is for our roads and bridges to get to school and work. What would you all do to make sure we have the funding we need for that?

Now, from today’s Boston Globe: “Analyst warns of cash shortfall for Mass. roads”

As the state has focused on the Big Dig, local highways and bridges have suffered. A recent report said that on the Massachusetts Turnpike, 12 of the 489 bridges are rated as structurally deficient. Though not dangerous to motorists now, roads and bridges could eventually become hazardous if not maintained, state transportation officials said.

I drive through Springfield every day and, after ten years, they still can’t find the time and resources to finish the highway. For a city that is partially dependent on tourist revenues from the Basketball Hall of Fame, you’d think they’d try to make it easy (even attractive) to pass through Springfield.