Nov 10, 2008 1:31 pm US/Eastern
Patrick To Eliminate Mass Pike Tolls West Of 128
By Glen Johnson, AP Political Writer
BOSTON (AP) ―
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Toll booths outside Route 128 will be eliminated, except at the New York and Connecticut borders.
WBZ
Gov. Deval Patrick is planning to dismantle the
Massachusetts Turnpike Authority to improve efficiency and try to mollify public complaints about planned toll hikes, two government officials said Monday.
Patrick is expected this week to unveil plans to fold
Turnpike operations west of Route 128 into the Massachusetts Highway Department.
Operations within Route 128, the so-called Metropolitan Highway System, would be folded into the
Massachusetts Port Authority. Massport already runs the Mystic Tobin Bridge and tunnels leading to and from Logan International Airport.
One government official said dismantling the Pike "would keep a promise to the taxpayers," while merging its operations into other government departments and authorities would eliminate duplication and create maintenance efficiencies.
According to the plan,
tolls likely will be raised inside Route 128 to pay off debt associated with Big Dig. Toll
booths outside Route 128 will be eliminated, except in West Stockbridge near the New York border and in Sturbridge, close to the Connecticut border.
The governor needs legislative approval for the Massport piece of the takeover, said one of the officials who, like the other, demanded anonymity to speak before Patrick's announcement.
The Turnpike's board is expected to vote on the plan -- and a possible toll hike -- on Friday.
House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi said last month he would be open to discussing such a merger, citing the state's fiscal crisis. "Something drastic needs to be done. If it's the dismantling of the Turnpike Authority, I for one, may tend to agree with that."
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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