Massachusetts Turnpike

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Massachusetts Turnpike
Maintained by the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority
Length: 138.1 mi[1] (222 km)
Formed: 1958 (final construction in 2003)
West end: I-90/New York State Thruway near West Stockbridge, Massachusetts at the New York–Massachusetts state border
Major
junctions:		 I-91/U.S. 5 in West Springfield
I-84 in Sturbridge
I-290/I-395/Route 12 in Auburn
I-495 in Hopkinton
I-95/Route 128/Route 30 in Weston
I-93/U.S. 1/Route 3 in Boston
East end: Route 1A in Boston, Massachusetts
Massachusetts State Highway Routes
< Route 88 I-91 >

The Massachusetts Turnpike (commonly shortened to the MassPike or The Pike) is the easternmost 138-mile (222 km) stretch of Interstate 90. The Turnpike begins at the western border of Massachusetts in West Stockbridge connecting with the Berkshire Connector portion of the New York State Thruway. From there, the MassPike heads east, traversing the state and serving the major cities of Springfield, Worcester, and Boston, and ends at Logan International Airport in East Boston, where the road meets Route 1A. The highest point on the Turnpike is in the Town of Becket, Massachusetts at elevation 1,724 feet above sea level.

Contents

[edit] Tolls

View of the Turnpike from an overpass by Boston University, facing east (towards downtown Boston)
View of the Turnpike from an overpass by Boston University, facing east (towards downtown Boston)
The Pike at Exit 17 (just out of view at left) in Newton, looking west
The Pike at Exit 17 (just out of view at left) in Newton, looking west

The Mass Pike is a toll road; it costs $5.10 for a Class 1 passenger vehicle to travel east from Exit 1 (Route 41), in West Stockbridge, to Logan Airport, in Boston. From Exit 1, in West Stockbridge, to Exit 14/15 (Route 128 / I-95), in Weston, the Mass Pike is a closed-system toll road, using long-distance tickets obtained once by a motorist on entrance, and surrendered on exit, at toll gates. The toll gates exist at all exits and entrances from Exit 1 to Exit 14/15. From Exit 14/15 to its eastern end, in East Boston, the Mass Pike is an open-system toll road. There are toll plazas at Exit 18/19/20 in Allston, Massachusetts, in both mainline directions and on the interchange ramps. There also is a toll plaza on the mainline at the westbound entrance to the Ted Williams Tunnel, in East Boston. Exits 16, 17, and 21–26 have no toll plazas on their ramps.

Toll plazas on the interchange ramps at Exit 16 were removed in 1996 at the direction of then Governor William Weld.

After protests from Western Massachusetts residents that their toll money was funding the Big Dig, a Boston highway project, tolls were removed on a western portion of the freeway in July 1996: no toll is charged for passenger-vehicle travel between Springfield (Exit 6, Interstate 291) and the New York (Exit 1, West Stockbridge) border in either direction.

Travel between exits 16 and 17, both in Newton, is a "free movement": no toll is charged for travel between these two exits. At exit 16, traffic can enter the Turnpike only eastbound and may exit from the Turnpike only westbound.

Motorists can pay tolls to toll-booth personnel or use the Fast Lane electronic toll-collection system, whereby transponders installed in the cars (typically on the inner windshields) are recognized automatically in special lanes at the toll plazas, the toll amounts then being withdrawn from the motorists' accounts. Fast Lane is compatible with the E-ZPass electronic toll-collection system, which is used throughout the United States.

The Ted Williams Tunnel has a toll only in the westbound direction. The outbound (West) trip from Logan Airport costs $3.50.

Tolls were increased from $3.00 to $3.50 at the Tunnel on January 1, 2008. [2]

[edit] History

The original logo depicted Paul Revere on horseback with the words "Massachusetts Turnpike Authority" in a circle around him.
The original logo depicted Paul Revere on horseback with the words "Massachusetts Turnpike Authority" in a circle around him.
The original Masspike pilgrim hat, on a shield for the Sumner Tunnel.
The original Masspike pilgrim hat, on a shield for the Sumner Tunnel.

Plans for the Turnpike date back to at least 1948, when the Western Expressway was being planned. The original section would have connected Boston's Inner Belt to Newton with connections with US 20 and Route 30 for traffic continuing west. Later extensions would take the road to and beyond Worcester. From the beginning, the corridor was included in federal plans for the Interstate Highway System, stretching west to the New York state line and beyond to Albany.

Also included in the route was the planned Springfield Bypass, which had been proposed to provide a bypass of US 20 in the Springfield area. Part of this route (and that of the eventual Turnpike) used the grading from the never-opened Hampden Railroad. Similarly, the West Stockbridge Bypass provided a new route of Route 102 from Route 183 in Stockbridge west to Route 102 just east of the state line in West Stockbridge; this latter route was built prior to the Turnpike.

The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority was created in 1952 by a special act of the Massachusetts General Court (legislature) upon the recommendation of Governor Dever and his Commissioner of Public Works, William F. Callahan. (1952 Acts and Resolves chapter 354; 1952 Senate Doc. 1.) The enabling act was modeled upon that of the Mystic River Bridge Authority (1946 Acts and Resolves chapter 562), but several changes were made that would prove of great importance fifty years later. Callahan served as chairman of the Authority until his death in April, 1964.

When the attorneys were searching land titles along the proposed route, they discovered that sections of the original land had been granted by the King of England to some of the landowner's ancestors. Construction began in 1955, and the whole four-lane road from Route 102 at the state line to Route 128 in Weston opened on May 15, 1957. The Berkshire Thruway opened on May 26, 1959, connecting the west end to the New York State Thruway mainline south of Albany. Prior to its opening, traffic used Route 22 and US 20 in New York. At the Massachusetts/New York state line, one can see where the Turnpike made an abrupt right turn before terminating at Route 102, as the old pavement still exists for Turnpike Authority and State Police vehicles to access this remote stretch of highway.

After political and legal battles related to the Boston Extension inside Route 128, construction began on March 5, 1962, with the chosen alignment running next to the Boston and Albany Railroad and reducing that line to two tracks. In September 1964 the part from Route 128 east to exit 18 (Allston) opened, and the rest was finished on February 18, 1965, taking it to the Central Artery.

The Interstate 90 label was assigned to the Turnpike in 1959 with the completion of plans for the Interstate Highway System. Early proposals took I-90 across the northern part of the state, along Route 2, but this was rejected as too costly. With the completion of the Boston Extension, that too was designated as I-90.

In 1991, construction began on the extension of the Mass Pike to Logan Airport, via the Ted Williams Tunnel as part of the Big Dig "mega" project. The final extension opened in 2003; the eastern end of I-90 now merges into Route 1A.

[edit] Controversies

The Massachusetts Turnpike, as it nears the Prudential Center, at sunset
The Massachusetts Turnpike, as it nears the Prudential Center, at sunset

[edit] MTA Board firings

Since 2001, the Turnpike Authority had come under fire from state politicians in a fight for control of the quasi-state agency. Beginning in 2001, former Massachusetts acting governor Jane Swift (R) attempted to fire Christy Mihos, a former Turnpike board member and Jordan Levy, the current Vice Chairman of the board.

Mihos and Levy had cast votes on the board to postpone a toll hike. Swift objected, saying such a delay was "fiscally irresponsible” and saying the two men "interfered with the effective daily management of the Authority." [3] Mihos and Levy refused to step down and sued Swift to retain their positions. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) ruled that the Turnpike was "not part of the machinery of the government" and therefore not subject to Swift’s decisions[4].

[edit] Proposed MTA/MassHighway merger

Gov. Mitt Romney (R), elected in 2002 during a fiscal crisis, ran on a platform of streamlining state government and eliminating waste. Part of this was the elimination of the Turnpike Authority. Gov. Romney wanted to fold the Turnpike into MassHighway, the state highway department, operated under the Executive Office of Transportation. A first step to this was to replace the Chairman of the Board, Matthew J. Amorello with someone loyal to the governor. The governor has the power to appoint members to the board, but the SJC advised in an Amicus brief that "nothing in G. L. c. 81A explicitly provides for the removal and reassignment of the chairperson to the position of "member." [5][6]

The governor took the case to the court of the public opinion and put enormous pressure on Mr. Amorello to step down. Mr. Amorello announced he would do so in 2007, after Gov. Romney would have left office. Gov. Romney continued to press the legislature to give him the power to remove members from the board, specifically the chairman, pointing to a series of financial and construction mishaps over the last several years. However, the legislature instead sought to keep Mr. Amorello on board by extending the terms of various board members to prevent Gov. Romney from removing Mr. Amorello. [7]

[edit] Ted Williams Tunnel collapse

In response to a fatality caused by a tunnel ceiling collapse on July 10, 2006, and in response to Mr. Amorello's refusal (at the time) to resign, Gov. Romney took legal steps to have Mr. Amorello forcibly removed as head of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, [8] culminating in Mr. Amorello's resignation on August 15, 2006. The next day, John Cogliano was sworn in as the new Chairman of the Turnpike Authority by Gov. Romney.[9]

On November 27, 2006, departing Attorney General Tom Reilly (D) announced the state will launch a civil suit over the collapse of the ceiling in the Ted Williams Tunnel. The Commonwealth will be seeking over $150 million dollars from project manager Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff, builder Modern Continental Construction Co. and the manufacturer of the epoxy used to hold the ceiling bolts.[10]

[edit] Toll removal

On October 18, 2006, the Turnpike board voted to remove all tolls west of the 128 toll plaza in response to a recommendation [11] made by Eric Kriss, a former fiscal adviser to the governor, whom Gov. Romney asked to review the Turnpike situation following the July 2006 tunnel ceiling collapse.

On October 19, 2006 members of the Massachusetts Legislature Transportation Committee were quoted in the Boston Globe as saying that the governor's actions may require state law to be amended for the toll removal to happen. In addition, questions have been raised in regard to how the State would fund the maintenance of the Turnpike after the removal of the tolls.

The issue of the removal of the tolls is highly charged politically. Several members of the state Democratic Party declared this as a political maneuver to bolster the gubernatorial campaign of Republican Lt. Governor Kerry Healy (R), who was behind in the polls at the time of the announcement. Also, because the MTA Board is composed of appointees of Gov. Romney, Mr. Kriss's former association with the Gov. Romney Administration and the ongoing election at the time, the issue was clouded by accusations of partiality and political agendas from both sides of the aisle.

In the November 9, 2006 edition of the Boston Globe, Gov. Romney announced his intention to try to remove the tolls before Governor-elect Deval Patrick (D) was inaugurated in January 2007.

On December 20, 2006, Gov. Patrick said he would oppose the removal of tolls on the portion of I-90 west of route 128, throwing into doubt the toll removal plan.

[edit] Turnpike Authority funding and jurisdiction

The Massachusetts Turnpike near the Chicopee exit
The Massachusetts Turnpike near the Chicopee exit

The Turnpike Authority also owns the Callahan Tunnel and Sumner Tunnel, the other two road connections between downtown Boston and East Boston under Boston Harbor.[12] Upon completion of the project, all Big Dig tunnels will also be transferred to its control.[13]

The Authority receives no state or federal government funding. Its revenues come from tolls, leases on air rights and service areas, and advertising.[14]

[edit] Air rights

The MTA has leased the air space over the highway, these are the current structures that have been constructed or are planned:[15]

  • The Shaw's supermarket between exits 16 and 17.
  • The Sheraton Hotel and Gateway Office complex on the Newton/Watertown at exit 17.
  • The Copley Place Mall at exit 22. (1984)
  • New construction on parcels 8, 9 and 10 adjacent to Fenway Park. (2008-2018)

There is one air rights property that the MTA does not own and that is the Prudential Center Complex built in 1965. This property includes the Shaw's Supermarket, the Prudential Tower, The Hynes Convention Center and the Back Bay (MBTA station) train/MBTA stop.

[edit] Exit list

The Massachusetts Turnpike uses a system of sequential exit numbered interchanges. Since the time that the interchanges were originally numbered, more have been added, leading to situations like Exit 11, which is a minor state route, and 11A, which is a major Interstate Highway 10 miles away.

Also, near Boston, some of the interchanges are solely onramps and are not signed as exits, so, for instance, there is no "Exit 21" signed.

County Location Mile Exit # Destinations Notes
Turnpike begins at New York state line where it continues west as the New York State Thruway (Berkshire section).
Berkshire West Stockbridge 2.9 1 Route 41 to Route 102 – West Stockbridge Westbound exit/eastbound entrance only
West Stockbridge Toll Barrier
 Western end of ticket system
Lee
Lee Service Plaza
 Welcome Center at eastbound plaza
10.6 2 U.S. Route 20 – Lee, Pittsfield
Hampden Blandford
Blandford Service Plaza
Westfield 40.4 3 Route 10/U.S. Route 202 – Westfield, Northampton
West Springfield 45.7 4 Interstate 91/U.S. Route 5 – Springfield, Holyoke Hartford exit for eastbound travelers
Connecticut River crossing
Chicopee 49.0 5 Route 33 – Chicopee To Westover AFRB/Airport
51.3 6 Interstate 291 WEST – Springfield, Hartford Stoplight intersection to I-291 or Burnett Road.
Ludlow 54.9 7 Route 21 – Ludlow, Belchertown
Ludlow Service Plaza
Palmer 62.8 8 Route 32 to US 20 – Palmer, Ware (eastbound), Amherst (westbound)
Worcester Sturbridge 78.5 9 Interstate 84 WEST to U.S. Route 20 – Hartford, Sturbridge (eastbound), New York City (westbound) Formerly Interstate 86.
Charlton
Charlton Service Plaza
 Tourist Info centers at both plazas
Auburn 90.2 10 Interstate 290 EAST/Interstate 395 SOUTH/Route 12 – Auburn, Worcester To Eastern Connecticut.
Millbury 94.1 10A Route 146/U.S. Route 20 – Worcester, Providence To Route 122A. The interchange was opened in 1998; Route 146 is being upgraded to a freeway from Providence to Worcester.
96.5 11 Route 122 – Millbury, Worcester To Grafton and Uxbridge
Westborough
Westborough Service Plaza
 Westbound only
Westborough - Hopkinton line 106.2 11A Interstate 495 – New Hampshire, Maine, Cape Cod Interchange opened in 1969.
Middlesex Framingham 111.4 12 Route 9 – Framingham, Marlbourough (westbound) Access to West Framingham and Southborough
Framingham Service Plaza
 Westbound only
116.8 13 Route 30 – Natick, Framingham Access to East Framingham, West Natick and Wayland.
Exit also serves the regional shopping hub and retail district.
Natick
Natick Service Plaza
 Eastbound only
Weston 123.3 14 I-95/Route 128 – New Hampshire, Maine, South Shore Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
Weston Toll Barrier
 Eastern end of ticket system.
124 15 I-95/Route 128/Route 30 – Westwood, Waltham Westbound exit, eastbound entrance. Exit 15 ramps pay cash toll.
Newton 125.2 16 Route 16 – West Newton, Wellesley Westbound exit/eastbound entrance; exit became toll-free in 1996
127.7 17 Newton, Watertown Washington, Galen, and Centre Streets; toll-free interchange.
Suffolk (Boston)
Allston/Brighton 130.9 18 Allston, Brighton, Cambridge Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; To Cambridge Street and Soldiers Field Road
19
Boston Toll Barrier
 Not an actual exit, but 19 is the Interchange # for the mainline toll plaza located at exit 18/20. Exit 18/20 traffic goes to separate plaza.
20 Allston, Brighton, Cambridge Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; To Cambridge Street and Soldiers Field Road
Back Bay 132.9 (21) Massachusetts Avenue Westbound entrance only, no exit. Number not marked
Copley Square 133.4 22 Prudential Center, Copley Square Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; To Route 9 and Route 28
Theater District 133.9 (23) Arlington Street Westbound entrance only, no exit. Number not marked
South Station 134.6 24A-B-C I-93/US 1/Route 3 – South Station, Concord, Quincy This was the eastern end of the Massachusetts Turnpike and I-90 until 2003. No access from I-93 south to I-90 east. Eastbound Turnpike is toll-free east of this interchange.
South Boston 135.3 25 South Boston Toll-free interchange.
Ted Williams Tunnel (Boston Harbor crossing) $3 westbound toll.
137.3 26 Logan Airport
East Boston 137.8 (merges with Route 1A)
End of I-90 and Massachusetts Turnpike

[edit] Toll ticket colors

A Massachusetts Turnpike toll ticket, obtained at exit 1
A Massachusetts Turnpike toll ticket, obtained at exit 1

Toll tickets obtained by motorists traveling on the Mass Pike are color-coded based on the interchange where the motorist entered the Pike. In addition to the black stripe on the back which is read by a magnetic reader, this color coding allows rapid identification by the toll collector, expediting the process of toll collection.

  • Exit 1 is orange.
  • Exits 2-8, 11 and 12 are gray.
  • Exit 9 is purple.
  • Exit 10 is light blue.
  • Exit 10A is dark blue/purple.
  • Exit 11A is brown.
  • Exit 13 is yellow.
  • Exit 14 is green.
  • Exit 15 is pink.

[edit] Service areas

Interstate 90 eastbound approaching Stockbridge and the Lee toll plaza
Interstate 90 eastbound approaching Stockbridge and the Lee toll plaza

There are 11 service areas (plazas) on the Massachusetts Turnpike, named for the towns in which they are located. Each plaza offers Gulf gas stations and Gulf Express convenience stores. Most offer McDonald's restaurants, with two plazas (Ludlow WB and Westboro WB) having Boston Market and D'Angelo as the main food offerings. Some plazas also have secondary food such as Auntie Anne's pretzels, Ben & Jerry's ice cream, Papa Gino's pizza, and Fresh City restaurants.

The plazas are:

  • Lee Plaza (Eastbound and Westbound) between exits 1 and 2.
  • Blandford Plaza (Eastbound and Westbound) between exits 2 and 3.
  • Ludlow Plaza (Eastbound and Westbound) between exits 7 and 8.
  • Charlton Plaza (Eastbound and Westbound) between exits 9 and 10.
  • Westborough Plaza (Westbound) between exits 11A and 11.
  • Framingham Plaza (Westbound) between exits 13 and 12.
  • Natick Plaza (Eastbound) between exits 13 and 14.

A weigh station is located on the eastbound side of the turnpike in Charlton between exits 9 and 10.

[edit] The Mass Pike in song and popular culture

The Mass Pike in Stockbridge, under less wintry conditions than James Taylor sings about.
The Mass Pike in Stockbridge, under less wintry conditions than James Taylor sings about.
"Now the first of December was covered with snow
And so was the Turnpike from Stockbridge to Boston
Lord, the Berkshires seemed dreamlike on account of that frosting
With ten miles behind me, and ten thousand more to go."[16]
  • Kansas City's group The Get Up Kids featured a song titled Mass Pike on their 1999 EP Red Letter Day.
  • Worcester radio station WWFX calls itself "The Pike" in reference to the toll road.
  • The far western portion of the Turnpike appears at the closing/credits section of the movie "Good Will Hunting," as the lead character "Will" (played by actor Matt Damon) is presumably driving west to California to follow his love interest, Skyler (played by actress Minnie Driver). The portion he drives is in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. As the scene fades to black, he rounds a bend. Just beyond this curve is the western toll plaza at exit 1.
  • The Lemonheads song "The Turnpike Down" references "Butterscotch streetlamps" along the Mass Pike that mark the lyricist's progress toward New York.

[edit] References

  1. ^ MTA - Toll Mileage Calculator. Massachusetts Turnpike Authority. Retrieved on 2007-03-15.
  2. ^ {http://www.masspike.com/user-cgi/news.cgi?dbkey=276&type=Press%20Release&src=news]
  3. ^ JORDAN LEVY & another vs. THE ACTING GOVERNOR & another (19 November 2001). Retrieved on 2007-07-13.
  4. ^ JORDAN LEVY & another vs. THE ACTING GOVERNOR & another SJC-08730 (07 May 2002). Retrieved on 2007-07-02.
  5. ^ ANSWER OF THE JUSTICES TO THE GOVERNOR. (29 June 2005). Retrieved on 2007-07-02.
  6. ^ [http://www.ma-appellatecourts.org/display_docket.php?dno=SJC-09461 REQUEST FOR ADVISORY OPINION, A-108 SJC-09461] (29 June 2005). Retrieved on 2007-07-02.
  7. ^ Mr. Amorello's cynical games
  8. ^ Gov. Romney Acts To Remove Mr. Amorello, Citing Public Safety
  9. ^ Cogliano Sworn In as New Turnpike Chief, WCVB TV, August 16, 2006
  10. ^ Mass. to sue Big Dig firms over tunnel accident, Reuters, 2006-11-27
  11. ^ [1]
  12. ^ http://www.state.ma.us/eot/downloads/planning/dataResources/Jurisdiction-Distric t4.pdf
  13. ^ MTA - About Us
  14. ^ MTA - About Us
  15. ^ The Future of Boston. Boston.com. Retrieved on 2007-11-28.
  16. ^ 'Sweet Baby James' lyrics - James Taylor - song lyrics

[edit] External links


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