Wareham is set to receive $723,254 for road and bridge repairs as part of a $200 million Chapter 90 bond authorization approved by the House of Representatives on March 25.

Chapter 90 funds can be used for a variety of municipal roadway projects, including resurfacing, drainage, sidewalks, traffic control and street lighting. The funding can also be used for certain road building machinery, equipment and tools.

“We know that our winters can be brutal on our roads and bridges but I’m afraid that we are only starting to see the devastation that will come this spring,” said state Rep. Susan Williams Gifford. “I applaud Gov. Baker for his understanding of this matter and giving our cities and towns additional resources to address what will certainly be critical road and bridge repairs.”

The state’s Chapter 90 program allocates funding for road and bridge maintenance and repairs using a formula that is based on a weighted average of a city or town's population, employment, and total mileage of roads. The funds are paid out as reimbursements to communities for qualifying infrastructure work.

Baker previously released $100 million in Chapter 90 bond funding in January, shortly after taking office. That money, along with the $200 million approved by the House of Representatives, will be used by municipalities during the 2015 construction season, which runs from April to November.

Earlier this month, the Baker Administration allocated an additional $30 million in bond funding to reimburse cities and towns under the Winter Recovery Assistance Program. The WRAP program is designed to assist municipalities with the cost of repairing or replacing damaged signs, guardrails, storm drains and line striping, while also helping to pay for filling potholes, repairing cracks in pavement and addressing other road surface defects.

The state Senate passed the bond bill on Wednesday. The bill now goes to the governor's desk for further action.