Mullan: reserves can't be used to pay off Pike
Date: 3/17/2010
March 17, 2010.By G. Michael Dobbs
Managing Editor
CHICOPEE -- Despite election year rhetoric from one candidate, Secretary of Transportation James Mullan said the state cannot afford to use Massachusetts Turnpike reserve funds to pay off the debt on the western end of the highway.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Christy Mihos has made suggestions to retire the debt in this fashion, but Mullan noted that current statues would prohibit such a move.
The $127 million debt is set to be fully repaid by Jan. 1, 2017, Mullan said.
Mullan was in Chicopee on Thursday to tour transportation infrastructure projects with State Rep. Joseph Wagner, the Transportation Committee Chair.
Mullan first saw the Front Street reconstruction project, which was followed by stops at the proposed Chicopee Crossing development on Memorial Drive, the reconstruction of Center Street and a meeting with Baystate Health officials.
Before the tour, Mullan discussed several transportation issues affecting Western Massachusetts with Reminder Publications.
He noted currently the income from the western end of the turnpike comes from the rental agreements at the service areas and using the reserves to pay the debt "was not realistic."
Some reserves were used to repave the area of the turnpike around Palmer, he said, which was done for safety reasons.
Wagner added that raiding the reserves would affect the repayment of the final debt service.
Mullan said the Patrick Administration is committed to increasing rail service to Western Massachusetts through three initiatives. The state is working with officials in Connecticut on extending that state's proposed commuter line to Springfield.
At the same time, he explained the state is involved in the new Amtrak service to Vermont. Currently the train linking Vermont with Western Massachusetts has station stops only in Springfield and Amherst. The shift in the line would be to have trains stop in Holyoke, Northampton and Greenfield and would shorten the length of the trip.
The Patrick Administration has pushed for greater service by the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) to Fitchburg, Haverhill and to Southeastern Massachusetts and Mullan said the state is working on MBTA commuter train service for Springfield.
The state had bought the tracks from CSX, the national freight train company, from Framingham to Worcester to expand service there, Mullan said. The issue facing the state is negotiating the right of way on the tracks between Springfield and Worcester, he explained.
He described the effort to bring MBTA commuter rail to Western Massachusetts as "a longer term project."
Noting concerns from private bus companies to the advance of public rail systems, Mullan said he would like to work out an arrangement in which the bus companies work with the rail lines for a single ticketing system.
