As a new round of toll hikes appears on the horizon, North Shore lawmakers are trying to find a way to ease the expense of their constituents' commutes into Boston.
Area lawmakers said they oppose the toll hikes for the Tobin Bridge and the Boston Harbor tunnels. However, they also recognize the proposed increases-which would help pay for the Big Dig-could be hard to stop.
That's why they're focusing their efforts this month on alternatives, such as legislation that would require discounts for commuters who frequently drive over the Tobin Bridge or through the tunnels.
The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority-the agency that oversees the turnpike, the Big Dig, and the tunnels-has delayed its decision on toll increases until next month to study the potential costs of a discount program.
Meanwhile, the Massachusetts Port Authority, which operates Logan Airport and the Tobin Bridge, has scheduled two public hearings this week on the bridge's proposed toll hike.
The turnpike authority is preparing to hike tolls at the Sumner/Callahan and Ted Williams Tunnels from $2 to $3 for passenger vehicles. Massport plans a $1 hike for the inbound lanes of the Tobin Bridge that would bring that toll up to $2 for each commuter's trip. The increases are expected to take place in early January.
North Shore lawmakers say their constituents shouldn't shoulder such a big share of the Big Dig's cost when many drivers from other parts of the state would benefit from the nearly $14.5 billion infrastructure project through downtown Boston.
Area lawmakers plan to reach out to legislators in the western suburbs of Boston who face potential 50-cent toll hikes at eh I-95 and Allston/Brighton exchanges on the Mass Pike. The MetroWest legislators could be key allies for the North Shore delegation in any effort to pass commuter discount legislation.
Sen. Fred Berry, D-Peabody, said his office is drafting a bill that would offer a significant discount program for regular commuters, an incentive for carpools and a method to find additional sources of revenue.
Berry is among several North Shore legislators who said they don't want to wait to file a bill until the turnpike authority decides whether to offer discounts to commuters. Berry said it's important to get a bill on the table as soon as possible.
"I don't think we can depend on the administration to do it without leverage," Berry said. "We've been waiting for a long time…I think right now all we are getting is rhetoric and no action."
The Legislature passed a Big Dig-related law in 1997 that set the stage for the pending toll hikes, despite concerns raised by North Shore legislators at the time. That "Metropolitan Highway System" law included a clause that required the turnpike authority and Massport to study the costs of a commuter discounts program and file that study with the Legislature by July of 1997.
Turnpike spokesman Robert Bliss said that 1997 study was completed, but nothing was implemented as a result. He said the 1997 study showed it would be difficult to have a discount program for all frequent commuters without an electronic toll collection system in place. That study was done two years before the Fast Lane electronic system was installed on the entire Mass Pike, Bliss said.
Turnpike officials expect a consultant to finish a new discount program study, which would take the Fast Lane electronic system into account, within the next two weeks, Bliss said.
Rep. Thomas McGee, D-Lynn, said he wants North Shore lawmakers to meet with turnpike officials as soon as possible. McGee supports moving forward with legislation if the turnpike authority chooses not to offer a discount program.
"We're ready to hold their feet to the fire," McGee said.
North Shore legislators said they're also trying to agree on the best way to propose making up any shortfall in revenue caused by a discount program. Some possible proposals involve spreading the toll increases among other exchanges on the Mass Pike.
"We're not going to be irresponsible about it," said Rep. Douglas Peterson, D-Marblehead. "We're willing to offer other kinds of options."
Sen. Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester, said other ideas under consideration include relying on a gas tax or using money form the state surplus. Tarr said those alternatives could be tough to pass in the Legislature because the toll hikes only hit a small portion of the state, while other options could affect all lawmakers' districts.
The turnpike authority needs to raise about $77 million a year-including the $60 million that's expected to be generated for the proposed toll increases-to help pay off the debt on the Big Dig, according to Bliss.
Massport's doubling of the Tobin Bridge toll would raise between $25 million and $27 million a year, up from the roughly $12 million in tolls that's been collected annually there, according to Massport spokesman Jose Juves.
Some of the money will cover the bridge's increased operating costs. But the remainder will help Massport pay for Big Dig-related roadwork at Logan Airport, including a connecting ramp to the Ted Williams tunnel, Juves said. Tarr said he's concerned the latest round of toll increases is but a short-term solution that will likely be inadequate to cover the Big Dig's ever-increasing price tag.
"We need to fight it because it's unfair," Tarr said. "But we need to fight it because it's not a workable solution."