Thanks to transportation infrastructure funds from the federal government and a state budget surplus, Massachusetts is awash in cash, much like Morrissey Boulevard is with floodwaters during a high tide.

But how much will be allocated for fixing the always busy multi-lane roadway’s regular flooding problem, and when will the fix happen? The answer remains unclear after decades of discussions and what seemed to be promises as various state and city agencies have been involved in a redesign of a corridor that is going to see thousands of new residents in the coming years as developments are slated for construction across Dorchester and South Boston, at the boulevard’s northern terminus.

Congressman Stephen Lynch, a South Boston Democrat who represents Dorchester’s eastern half, noted that Massachusetts is receiving $9.5 billion in federal aid for transportation-related repairs and new projects. The spending plans are discretionary, and up to the governor and the Legislature, according to Lynch. There is “ample money” to re-do Morrissey Boulevard, he said. The fix is also tied into the redesign of Kosciuszko Circle, the hellish traffic rotary off I-93 and Morrissey that also goes by the name “K Circle.”

“It just needs to be made a priority,” Lynch told the Reporter.

Lynch chalked up the problem to “inertia.” He recalled meeting with Gov. Baker and Marty Walsh, back when President Biden’s labor secretary was the mayor of Boston, about the issue. Baker is “painfully aware of the dilemma down there and he knows what an important access road that’ll be over the long term,” Lynch said.

“Every time we get a decent storm, a high tide, that’s underwater,” he added. “We’ve got to figure that out.”

Councillor Frank Baker, who represents Dorchester on the City Council, noted that the last year has brought changes in government, including inside City Hall. “Without transportation improvements, we on that side of Kosciuszko Circle will be stuck over there for the rest of our lives,” he said, referring to residents on the west side of the Southeast Expressway.

Rep. Dan Hunt, who is part of the Dorchester delegation at the State House, said he has worked with other lawmakers to fund the raising of the boulevard to mitigate the high tides. The money has already been set aside, and he hopes the boulevard-raising moves separate the larger project involving the redesign of the corridor.

“It’s my desire that the robust community process resume in earnest as soon as humanly possible,” he said of the larger project.

There has been some activity on the boulevard: The Department of Conservation and Recreation recently repaved the roadway between Freeport Street and the rotary by Pope’s Hill Street. A DCR spokesperson said the repaving was to ensure safety for vehicles.

But a planning study, first announced in early 2021 and involving multiple city and state agencies, remains active en route to developing a fix to the Morrissey/Kosciuszko Circle corridor. A report is expected to be completed by late 2023, meaning the ultimate fix, whatever it is, remains years away.

The study is expected to project traffic and public transit demand into 2040, and, into 2070 for environmental projections, taking into account climate change and sea level rise.

The travel projects will be developed based on information available from data and models provided by ongoing development projects, such as “Dorchester Bay City,” a $5 billion plan to turn 36 acres on Columbia Point into a cluster of life science and technology companies steps from Morrissey Boulevard and the JFK/UMass MBTA stop.

The involved agencies include DCR, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the Governor’s Office of Energy and Environmental affairs, City Hall, and the Boston Planning and Development Agency. The state and city have split the $1 million cost of the study.