By Mr. Loscocco of Holliston, petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3572) of Paul J. P. Loscocco and others relative to the transfer of a portion of the Turnpike and the financing of the metropolitan highway system from non-toll revenues.  Transportation.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

——————

PETITION OF:

Paul J. P. Loscocco

Stephen P. LeDuc

David Paul Linsky

Alice Hanlon Peisch

James E. Vallee

Scott P. Brown

Karen E. Spilka

Jennifer M. Callahan

——————

In the Year Two Thousand and Seven.

——————

An Act providing for the transfer of a portion of the turnpike and the financing of the metropolitan highway system from toll and non toll revenues.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

Section 26 of Chapter 81A of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2004 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 12-14, the words “provided, however, that any such agreements shall provide that all non-toll turnpike revenues shall thereafter be dedicated solely to the operation and maintenance of the turnpike” and inserting in place thereof the following words:— provided, however, that the highway department, on behalf of the commonwealth, shall enter into an agreement with the authority prior to December 31 , 2007 providing for the immediate transfer to the highway department of that portion of the turnpike consisting of the limited access express toll highway, designated as interstate highway route 90, extending from the town of West Stockbridge on the commonwealth’s border with New York state to but excluding exit 6, so-called, at the interchange of interstate highway route 90 and interstate highway route 291, and all bridges, tunnels, overpasses, underpasses, interchanges, entrance plazas, approaches, and connecting highways, but excluding the service plazas, so-called, consisting of parking facilities, service stations, restaurants, retail establishments, tourist information centers and administration and access thereto, with any and all toll and non-toll turnpike revenues necessary continuing to be paid to the authority to be used for any legal purpose of the authority; provided, however, that such revenues shall first be used by the turnpike authority to continue the so-called commuter discount program on the turnpike and the metropolitan highway system and to prevent or offset any increase to tolls collected pursuant to section 10 chapter 81A of the General Laws; and further provided that such agreement shall provide for the use and storage of equipment for the maintenance of such transferred portion of the turnpike in a manner mutually acceptable to the parties to the agreement.