LYNN – The amount of state money the city was expected to receive for road repairs has been halved, but Sen. Thomas McGee said to characterize it as a cut was unfair.”It’s less money than expected, but (Gov. Deval Patrick) signed off on $300 million, he just authorized $150 million,” he said.Chapter 90 money is state funds specifically earmarked for road repairs and maintenance. State Highway Association President David Knowlton had no problem calling the less-than-anticipated dollar amount a cut. And he said it means Lynn’s anticipated funding of $2,231,593 will be cut in half.McGee said that isn’t necessarily true. He said there is nothing to say that Patrick won’t release the rest of the money later in the year.”Across the state, communities like Lynn depend on Chapter 90 funds to repair and maintain their local roads,” said Knowlton. “Not only is the proposed $150 million less than what we had last year, it is also not enough to complete many of the scheduled projects this construction season. This means half as many jobs will be created and more expensive road repairs will result in the future.”McGee, who serves on the Transportation Commission, said he agreed that the funding is lower than last year but he called fiscal 2010 and 2011 historical highs for Chapter 90 funding. In the last two years the state allocated $200 million in Chapter 90 funding, but in the four previous years cities and towns cities and towns got only $150 million per year; in 2005 it was only $112 million.”So we have consistently raised funding,” McGee said.Knowlton however said the annual need for road maintenance in the commonwealth is about $562 million. Releasing all of the funding in a timely manner would result in more completed projects and cut down on delayed projects, he said.”Without the full $300 million in funding, you can expect to see more potholes and fewer repairs,” he said. “After this past winter many of our roads require speedy repairs; however, these projects can only be completed if the full Chapter 90 amount finds its way into the hands of cities and towns soon. With this full amount, we can address problems that could more than triple in cost if delayed another year.”Funding for Chapter 90 is drawn from the gas tax, which Patrick has proposed raising, and remains a vital component in keeping the state’s 30,000 miles of roads in good condition, he added.McGee said the transportation finance bill Knowlton is referring to, that includes a 3-cent gas tax increase is currently in conference committee. He said he anticipates that the details will be sorted out and the result will be more money for transportation issues.”You can anticipate $150 million available immediately and we’ll see where it goes,” McGee said. “The governor did sign off on $300 million, so to have it characterized as a cut ? it’s not.”Chris Stevens can be reached at [email protected].