New Tolls?

The Department of Transportation is once again considering new tolls to offset an expected decrease in revenues.

Raymond J. Wieczorek Drive - the new access road linking Everett Turnpike to Manchester Airport - will cost the state some $5 million annually in toll revenue. The road allows allow travelers and commuters to bypass the Bedford toll plaza.

There are currently 4 tolls in the vicinity of the Everett Turnpike; Bedford toll plaza north of Exit 12 and booths at Exits 10, 11 and 12 in Merrimack.

The 2012 Legislature is considering three bills related to these tolls:

HB 1369 authorizes the installation of an open road tolling plaza in the vicinity of Exit 10.

HB 1257 eliminates all tolls in the town of Merrimack

HB 1192 provides discounts for E-Z Pass users and eliminates charges for drivers who uses the tolls more than 16 times.

An engineering firm contracted by the state also proposed several plans to reconfigure the set-up. Click here to read the Everett Turnpike Tolling Study.

The DOT decided against border tolls along I-93 in Salem. Transportation commissioner George Campbell said the border tolls would raise millions of dollars to fund the completion of the I-93 widening project and other infrastructure improvements across the state. The plan faced fierce opposition from local officials and was ultimately scrapped.

A Lynch spokesman said the governor is also opposed to tolls.