Linsky Files Bill to Eliminate Turnpike, Tunnel, and Tobin Bridge Tolls

BOSTON – Representative David P. Linsky (D-Natick) announced today that he and over fifteen co-signers have filed a bill which would eliminate the Newton-Weston and Allston-Brighton toll plazas, eliminate the tolls at the Ted Williams, Callahan, and Sumner tunnels, and eliminate the toll on the Tobin Bridge. This legislation is in response to last week’s decision by the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority Board to raise tolls by 75 cents at the Weston and Allston-Brighton toll plazas and to increase tolls at the tunnels from $3.50 to $7 as a stop-gap measure to protect the Big Dig bond credit rating. Linsky, who serves as the House Chair of the MetroWest Caucus, has long been vocal about the inequities of the current tolling system on the MetroWest region and vocal about the pressing need for a state-wide funding solution to pay off the Big Dig debt. Consequently, Linsky’s bill also calls for an increase in the gasoline excise tax of eleven cents per gallon which would go towards funding the repayment of the bonds on the Central Artery Project/Third Harbor Tunnel and the operation and maintenance of the Metropolitan Highway System.

“For far too long, commuters from MetroWest—many of whom do not even use or benefit from the Big Dig—have been saddled with the burden of paying for the state’s portion of the debt, maintenance and operating costs associated with the Big Dig while commuters from the South Shore and those who use I-93 and the Zakim Bridge pay nothing. These inequities, exacerbated by the Board’s decision last week, are well-documented,” Linsky stated. “The Big Dig was designed as a project with a statewide benefit, which in turn requires a statewide funding solution rather than a solution which puts certain geographical regions at a blatant disadvantage.”

Linsky projects an increase in the gasoline excise tax will generate approximately $35M per penny per gallon based on annual consumption statistics. He asserts that an increase of eleven cents per gallon would generate enough revenue to replace the toll collection and toll infrastructure on the Weston and Allston-Brighton toll plazas, the three tunnels, and the Tobin Bridge while still generating a surplus to be puts towards the repayment of the Big Dig bonds. Linsky argues that this plan more evenly distributes the state’s transportation debt over the current toll system.

“I was pleased to be able to work with a coalition of legislators from MetroWest, the North Shore, and Metro Boston to devise legislation which will address these inequities. I was also encouraged by Speaker DiMasi’s public support for a potential increase in the gas tax, which has remained static since 2000,” said Linsky. “Furthermore, I am optimistic about the positive environmental impact that raising the gas tax and eliminating toll booths will have. Even when the cost of gas is low, we need to continue focusing on alternative energy and emissions reductions.”

Currently, Massachusetts’ gasoline excise tax is fixed at 21 cents per gallon while the national average is 30 cents per gallon.