Some good coverage of the Governor’s business round table discussion in Marshfield last Thursday … For those who want to get the substance of the discussion the video is here: http://ht.ly/2TRzP
Marshfield Mariner:
Photo courtesy Townson Photography
Gov. Deval Patrick greets Village at Proprietors Green residents.
By Benjamin Brown Wicked Local MarshfieldGov. Deval Patrick attended an Oct. 14 meeting with town officials and business owners from around the South Shore at the Village at Proprietors Green, the goal of which was to educate the governor on how the surrounding area plans to expand economically.
Business owners and officials relayed both their success stories as well as their ideas for the region to the governor, and speakers unanimously declared the bottlenecked Route 139 as a stop gate for already hesitant business owners looking to move into Enterprise Park, and expansion as a solution for a South Shore region looking to develop jobs.
“That one infrastructure improvement will bring about 900 jobs, maybe more,” said Democratic state Rep. Jim Cantwell of Marshfield.
For a press release from Patrick’s office about the Route 139 expansion project going forward, see below … For more, see next week’s Marshfield Mariner.
http://www.wickedlocal.com/marshfield/topstories/x1943809515/Gov-Deval-Patrick-meets-
GOVERNOR PATRICK ANNOUNCES MARSHFIELD/ROUTE 139 PROJECT IS MOVING FORWARD
South Shore Priority Project Will Enhance Safety, Boost Economic Development
MARSHFIELD - Thursday, October 14, 2010 - As part of the Patrick-Murray Administration’s historic Massachusetts Works program to promote job growth and long-term economic recovery, Governor Deval Patrick today joined local leaders to announce that the reconstruction of Route 139 in Marshfield is moving forward.The $5.6 million project will reconstruct Route 139 (Plain Street) from School Street to Furnace Street, providing two travel lanes in each direction and a new traffic signal system at the busy Enterprise Drive intersection with Route 139, along with new sidewalks and bicycle-accommodating roadway shoulders. The project is scheduled to be advertised for bid in 2011.
“This is a timely and much-needed investment in the busy Route 139 commercial corridor that will create jobs while improving the economic development of the area,” said Governor Patrick.
“The Route 139 project represents the Patrick-Murray Administration’s focus on investing in job-creating projects across the whole Commonwealth while at the same time improving safety and access for vehicles as well as bicyclists and pedestrians,” said MassDOT Transportation Secretary and CEO Jeff Mullan.
The statewide road and bridge program combined with the eight-year, $3 billion Accelerated Bridge Program and federal stimulus funds have more than doubled the Commonwealth’s investment in roads and bridges from $515 million in FY2007 to a projected $1.085 billion in FY2010.The combined road and bridge construction program will support more than 10,000 jobs on 385 separate projects across the Commonwealth.
At the same time, MassDOT reduced the time from construction contract advertisement to construction start by more than 43 percent - a drop from 218 days in 2008 to 124 days in 2009. For ARRA projects, the timeline from construction contract advertisement to notice to proceed was reduced to 48 days, allowing MassDOT to put people to work on construction projects faster than ever before.
The road and bridge projects are a part of the more than $4 billion infrastructure investment being made as part of the Administration’s Massachusetts Works initiative putting nearly 20,000 people to work across the Commonwealth this construction season.
“I appreciate the Governor’s personal involvement in bringing this project closer to fruition. These improvements to Route 139 have been identified as the #2 priority for infrastructure spending by the South Shore Chamber of commerce for our region and is projected to attract 900 jobs to Marshfield’s Enterprise Park,” said Representative Jim Cantwell.
To learn more about Massachusetts Works, visit www.mass.gov/governor/massworks. For additional information on how the Patrick-Murray Administration’s agenda has led Massachusetts out of a global recession faster and stronger than the rest of the nation, visit www.mass.gov/governor/agenda.
