Massport chief voices concerns on takeover

The chief executive officer of the Massachusetts Port Authority said yesterday that he "hoped to get some sort of agreement in principle" next month to take over the Big Dig and the eastern portions of the Massachusetts Turnpike, but urged caution on Governor Deval Patrick's plan to fix the financially struggling transportation system.

"There's just so many moving pieces to this," Thomas J. Kinton Jr. said in his first public comments since Patrick announced his plan this month. The plan would transfer the eastern portion of the Turnpike Authority to Massport, which runs Logan International Airport, while the state highway department would take over the portion west of Route 128.

Kinton also said yesterday that there would be no immediate increase in tolls on the Tobin Bridge, even as the Turnpike Authority voted last week to raise other tolls in the area.

The Tobin is the only toll road in Greater Boston not controlled by the Turnpike Authority. The turnpike's board gave preliminary approval last week to increasing tolls at the Allston-Brighton and Weston toll booths, and doubling tolls in the Ted Williams and Sumner tunnels.

"We're not prepared to do anything just yet," Kinton said about the Tobin Bridge. "Obviously, everything is on the table."

Tolls at the Tobin cost $3 for drivers coming into Boston who pay cash, with a 50-cent discount for those who pay electronically using either Fast Lane or EZ Pass. The turnpike also has discounts for Fast Lane users, though not for those with out-of-state EZ Passes. Massport doubled the Tobin rates to $2 in 2002 and went up another dollar in 2004.

If the Tobin is significantly cheaper than the tunnels, drivers from the North Shore might change their route, which could lead to back-ups on the bridge.

Boston Globe - Full Story

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