State senator’s bill paves way for expanded Mass. tolls
Every major highway around Boston would have electronic tolls under a Lynn Democrat’s plan to fill the state’s coffers by dunning drivers.
State Sen. Thomas McGee’s plan — which cites fairness for those North Shore and Metrowest drivers who already are hit with daily tolls — would direct state officials to “implement a comprehensive system of tolling and travel on and within the metropolitan highway system” by the end of next year.
Affected highways would include Interstate 93 as it heads through Boston, Interstate 95 as it circles Boston, Route 1 south of I-95, and Route 2 between Alewife and I-95.
McGee said the tolls would be used to fill a billion-dollar gap in the state’s transit spending — not just for road and bridge maintenance, but for the MBTA, commuter rail and ferry service.
The plan does not propose any specific toll amounts but does call for the state to “implement dynamic or peak period pricing aimed at easing congestion and maximizing environmental benefits.”
Currently, drivers into Boston with an E-ZPass have to pay 50 cents coming through the Allston tolls, $1.25 going over the Tobin Bridge and $1.50 going through the Sumner, Callahan and Ted Williams tunnels.
McGee said he did not have any toll figures in mind, but said new tolls would balance the money his constituents pay when driving to Boston while other motorists can travel to and from the city without paying.
“In many ways we are paying our own tax and not seeing the benefits, we need to be fair and equitable about how we toll,” McGee said.
A South Shore Republican — whose constituents don’t currently pay tolls to commute to Boston — cast McGee’s bill as the camel’s nose under the tent.
“This is not going to stop there, and once they’re installed they’ll be there forever, and there’ll be regular increases,” said state Rep. David DeCoste (R-Norwell). “This will never end.”
Mary Connaughton, a former Massachusetts Turnpike Authority board member and director of government transparency for the Pioneer Institute, called the toll plan a “money grab” and criticized pols for pursuing it.
“With massive tolling structures absent, tolls these days seem more like an afterthought — that is, until you get your credit card statement,” Connaughton said. “The public has rejected additional transportation taxes and it’s odd to think that legislators would embrace this concept.”