NORTHAMPTON — For a town like Hatfield, annual road maintenance has become increasingly more challenging over the past 12 years, as state Chapter 90 road money declines even as the price of hot mix asphalt rises substantially.

“Our costs have pretty much doubled, and yet our apportionment went down about 7% during that time,” Select Board Chairwoman Diana Szynal told the Joint Committee on Transportation during a April 10 hearing, where she spoke in favor of a plan by Gov. Maura Healey to infuse the Chapter 90 program with more money over a five-year period. “So that’s why these extra monies are so important and so appreciated for a town our size.”

This year, a section of Elm Street, the main thoroughfare through Hatfield, will be resurfaced, using the $401,000 received in Chapter 90 money, an increase over the usual $240,000 due to the Fair Share Amendment.

But with hot mix asphalt rising in price from $62.50 per ton to $112 per ton and the town getting about $16,000 less per year in Chapter 90 money, there has been no strategic way to plan, Szynal said.

“Our plan is to pave until we run out of money,” said Szynal, who was accompanied by Highway Superintendant Garrett Barry. Szynal said the town needs to pave two miles of road, mill and fill and chip seal at an estimated cost of $833,000 a year to stay on top of a long-term maintenance plan.

Under the legislation filed by Healey, the size of the funding pool directed to cities and towns would go up to $300 million per year for five years, or a total of $1.5 billion over that timeframe — the highest amount in the history of funding. This additional $100 million annual investment represents a 50% increase to support the repair of municipal roads, bridges and infrastructure.

The additional $100 million also would be disbursed based on miles in a community, rather than population.

“With costs increasing and costs having already increased, and especially with moves by President [Donald] Trump, that continue to, it seems, further inflationary results, including the raising of tariffs, municipalities are stuck trying to do more with less,” Healey told the committee.

Granby’s situation is similar to Hatfield’s. David Desrosiers, the town’s highway superintendent who has also been one of the regional representatives to the Chapter 90 Advisory Committee, said extra money is needed to take care of the 60 miles of road in Granby.

Communities have seen asphalt prices that were $27 per ton in the early 2000s go up to more than $100 per ton, Desrosiers said, even as Chapter 90 funding has stayed flat at around $200 million.

“That has caused us to see significant declines in our pavement conditions,” Desrosiers said.

While there have been improvements in recent years, storm clouds include huge spikes in asphalt prices, and deterioration that will continue.

“It takes a long time to recover and rebuild the roads if you let them fall apart,” Desrosiers said.

Healey was joined by Administration and Finance Secretary Matthew J. Gorzkowicz and Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver in speaking to the need to increase funding for roads and bridges.

The bill also proposes to update the program’s formula to ensure that every community in Massachusetts receives a significant increase in local road support, with enhanced support for small and rural communities.

“We’re also making sure that no community is left behind,” Healey said. “We know that small and rural communities, especially in western Mass, have different characteristics and needs. That’s why we proposed a change to the funding formula to make sure they get their fair share.”

The bill also authorizes an additional $500 million for MassDOT’s road and bridge lifecycle asset management program to address the condition of pavement and bridges statewide.

Linda Dunlavy, executive director of the Franklin Regional Council of Governments, said Chapter 90 money should be distributed by road miles, rather than population. This, she said, would add 75%, and towns would use money to carefully plan and not just do bare minimum or deal with emergencies.

“Rural, western Massachusetts has long advocated for a change in the Chapter 90 formula to recognize that the cost of road maintenance is the same whether a municipality has a population of 1,000 or 10,000,” Dunlavy said.

Adam Chapdelaine, executive Director and CEO, Massachusetts Municipal Association, also spoke in favor as promoting safety, economic development and the quality of life in each of the state’s 351 cities and towns.

“The longer term nature of the proposal would be extremely helpful in local planning efforts in order to make the most efficient use of the funding,” Chapdelaine said. “We hope to see swift passage of this important infrastructure bill, in time for the spring construction season.”

In a state climate change assessment in 2022, temperatures continue to rise, with the potential for fewer rainy days and more intense rainstorms, with a rise in sea levels combined with “powerful coastal storms.”

Climate change can affect roadways and pose risks to transportation systems. An increase in extreme storms can lead to more flooding, damaging roads, bridges and tunnels, while also weakening roadway materials, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Chrissy Lynch, President of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO said the bill would increase funding for the “vital infrastructure work that needs to be done,” to ensure the region is flood resilient — with worsening storms and high tides due to climate change.

“Decades of deferred maintenance and under-investment have led to decay in bridges and roads that can’t measure up to cold New England winters,” Lynch said. “Now we have dozens of bridges deemed unsafe and roads routinely flooded.”

Material from the Boston University Statehouse Program was used in this report. Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.