Mass Turnpike Authority dies, but Mass Turnpike lives on

The Turnpike Authority in Massachusetts will formally pass away Oct 30, but the Turnpike itself will live on as a division of a new Massachusetts Department of Transportation that begins Nov 1.  The Turnpike generates $285m/year, a revenue flow there was never any question of the state foregoing.

James Aloisi, Turnpike chairman and a former chief staff lawyer there presided over the last monthly board meeting Thursday.

Aloisi lamented the demise of the Turnpike Authority saying its critics would be seen over time to have been wrong. But he didn't say much more, just: “It will take a generation or more before people can reflect on it objectively. We’ll let history be the judge."

Big Dig fatally unbalanced the Authority

It's our view that the Turnpike Authority became politically unsustainable in 1997 when at the behest of the state governor William Weld the legislature gave the Turnpike Authority responsibility for the Big Dig project but failed to give it the power to levy tolls to finance and manage this mighty underground road.  That fatally unbalanced the Turnpike Authority.

From then on every head of the Turnpike Authority was condemned to the impossible job of managing a project awash in federal and state tax monies and borrowings in which the discipline of a limited future toll revenue stream was totally lacking.

The Big Dig became a protracted nightmare of mismanagement that had the Turnpike Authority in a state of continuous crisis and brought down one Turnpike head after another.

Doomed to try to carry the cost over-runs of a facility that cater to north-south traffic (I-93) and downtown east-west traffic (I-90) on the backs of tollpayers in the western suburbs, the Turnpike Authority was - thanks to the politicians - politically indefensible.

Turnpike costs were also high based on an over-cosy relationship with the labor unions.

Wrapping the Turnpike into a larger state DOT was sold as a way to reduce costs, though it remains to be seen if that promise will be fulfilled. Meanwhile it throws the continuing costs of Big Dig debt onto the state as a whole.

Goes back to 1952

The Turnpike Authority had a 57 year life. Formed in 1952 it was given the mission of building a great expressway to the far west of the state - it was first called the Western Expressway.

Construction began Jan 25 1955 near the New York border and 28 months later was complete the 198km (123 miles) to MA128 in the western suburbs of Boston at a cost of $257m. The 20km (12 mile) eastward extension from MA128 into downtown Boston at I-93 called the Boston Extension was built between Mar 1962 and Feb 1965.

2x 2 lane tunnels under Boston Harbor separately named the Sumner and Callahan (after the Turnpike's first chairman) were acquired by the Turnpike Commission in 1964, and the 4 lane Ted Williams tunnel in 1995.

Traffic in the first full year of operations was an average daily 30k veh/day and revenue for the year $9.89m.

Traffic last year was 523k/day (number of tolls collected) and toll revenue $285m.

Western suburbs commissioner Mary Z Connaughton put the Turnpike's history into whimsical verse she titled "Ode to the Pilgrim Hat" for the board's last meeting:

Ode to the Pilgrim Hat
 
Bill Callahan was a man of large style.
Building a road he did with a smile.
He sold them on tolls,
And made many foes,
“Relax, for a while it’s just how it goes.”

As years slowly passed, other chairs took the rein,
To get tolls even quicker, they offered fast-lane,
And tolls they sure stayed,
Beacon Hill had it made.
“Plow fast,” they said, “toll worries will fade.”

Now James Kerisiotes found himself in huge trouble,
Big Dig costs sure soon would go double.
“Oh where can we fund this terrible mess?
Aha, let’s consider the tolls way out west!”
A toll hike plan hatched putting fairness to test!

And pay they sure did for many years long,
Not til 2002 would they’d sing the toll song
Mihos and Levy, they shouted the truth,
“Bechtel and tolls aren’t working for you!”
Swift fired back, to the highest court she fast flew.

Well, Levy and Mihos they came out on top,
And back to the board the two wouldn’t stop.
But Swift then conjured up an affable fellow.
Reporting to the board was Matt Amorello.
The press, well they sure did give a big frown,
With meetings so far, far from Beantown.

Matt was quite tight with Prez Bob Travaglini,
And knew all reps’ names from mighty to teeny.
But Romney and he could not see eye-to-eye
For two Republicans, this just didn’t fly.
In the midst of their scuffles, then in did come I.
And with the Boston media, some called me a hog,
But it sure did get fun when I started a blog!

Enter Pagliuca, Trimarco, and soon John Cogliano,
Romney now sported his team with systems on-go.
The goal was quite simple, let’s end tolls at last.
The AP reported they’re doing this fast!
And without even hiking the gasoline tax!

Now Cogliano knew the art of getting along.
To Romney or Patrick he sang a good song.
Tolls were going down on the Pike out west
But Patrick soon said, “hey, give it a rest.”
And with no board vote, we lost our fair quest.

Cohen was first on the governor’s team.
He hired Lebovidge to cut staff and dream,
The unions they balked and the money stayed tight,
The finances tumbled with swaptions not right.
So out a new plan, let’s give MassPort a bite.

But first, they said, let’s sweeten the pot.
With Angelini and Jenkins some meetings got hot,
Motorists would see high tolls anew,
The public didn’t like it, soon Cohen was through.
And in came Aloisi, how could it be true?

One way or another, he got the job done,
But to pass a huge bill he had little fun.
In a political pickle more than one time,
With Murray, Senate prez, he was in quite a bind,
But, will history anoint him reform master-mind?

This board is now through, a new one is comin’
Pilgrim hats disappear, all lights are on Mullan
To cut and to save, his heart does seem true,
State law bars me from declaring right now what I’ll do,
But one way or another, I’ll be keeping an eye on you!

TOLLROADSnews 2009-10-17