Mass. Pike may get Tobin Bridge tolls

A special state commission will call for transferring oversight of the Tobin Bridge and its millions in toll revenue from the Massachusetts Port Authority to the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, according to a key member of the commission.

Such a move would probably force Massport to increase fees at Logan Airport and at its seaport facilities to recoup the $27 million in revenue now generated by the bridge, which drivers pay $3 to cross.

But the Tobin Bridge revenues could help the Turnpike Authority avoid toll increases in the harbor tunnels and on the turnpike, according to a draft of the proposal before the Massachusetts Transportation Finance Commission.

The proposal is expected to trigger a turf war between the state's two most powerful transportation agencies.

``I believe there's a majority on the commission to approve this plan," said Kevin J. Sullivan, former state secretary of transportation and member of the 13-member commission, which the Legislature established to develop a plan for reorganizing the state's transportation system.

The commission is expected to submit its proposals by the end of the year to lawmakers, who have the final say on any changes.

Under the proposal, the Turnpike Authority would compensate Massport for the loss of the bridge, proposing a rough value of $280 million.

Commission members supporting the transfer say the 56-year-old bridge, which carries close to 10 million cars a year across the Mystic River, should be integrated into the Metropolitan Highway System, the network of Eastern Massachusetts roadways established a decade ago and operated by the Turnpike Authority. The system has helped the authority pay for the Big Dig.

The draft report says Massport's ownership of the bridge is ``an accident of history."

``From a systemic perspective, it makes sense to include the Tobin Bridge as part of the Metropolitan Highway System, rather than as part of Massport," according to the draft, which was obtained by the Globe. ``Massport operates no road facilities, but the Turnpike Authority operates every other toll facility in the state."

Resistance to the idea by Massport is expected to be fierce. Craig Coy, the authority's executive director, declined to be interviewed. But his spokeswoman said such a move would have serious implications for the authority's financial position, because it relies on the tolls to finance bonds.

``The Tobin Bridge is such an integral part of Massport's bonding and financial structure, and . . . to put such a proposal into effect would be hugely complicated and unnecessary," spokeswoman Danny Levy said last week. ``If it is not broken, why fix it?"

The commission's subcommittee examining the Tobin Bridge issue is chaired by James A. Aloisi Jr., a lawyer at Goulston & Storrs whose private clients include the Turnpike Authority. The authority paid about $330,000 last year in legal fees to Aloisi's law firm.

Aloisi, a politically savvy lawyer who has worked in both Democratic and Republican administrations, has been a significant player in state transportation circles for years. He has served as general counsel to the Turnpike Authority, and his law practice focuses on transportation law.

In his resume, he states that he was the ``principal author" of the legislation that set up the framework for the operation, maintenance, and financing of the Big Dig. He also played a central role in creating the Massachusetts Highway System.

In an interview, Aloisi said he was reluctant to talk publicly about the commission's deliberations before its final report is submitted to the Legislature. But he brushed aside any suggestion of conflict of interest, saying the 13 commission members will make a recommendation as a whole. He said any questions over his role on the commission and his work for the Turnpike Authority are ``fundamentally unfair to me."

Aloisi said that he has not spoken to anyone at the Turnpike Authority about the issue and that, in fact, he leans toward a different option for the Tobin Bridge that would create a public-private partnership.

``My own recommendation will be to put it out to bid for a long-term lease or concession, not to transfer it," Aloisi said. ``What the other members of the subcommittee or commission will think is for them to say. But to pin the transfer idea on me as my idea or to suggest that it is an idea that I am championing is false."

Sullivan agreed, saying that Aloisi should not recuse himself.

``The ultimate decision-makers will be the Legislature and the governor," Sullivan said. ``We are all part of this commission based on our various experience. Mr. Aloisi is clearly within his rights to investigate what I think is a viable public policy initiative."

Sullivan said that his advocacy of the plan stems from his concern that the daily Route 1 commuters using the bridge to cross the Mystic River to Chelsea and the North Shore are paying for nonbridge operations.

``Right now, the toll-payers are subsidizing Massport's seaport operations, as well as its administration," Sullivan said.

``That toll revenue should go 100 percent into the maintenance and operation of the bridge," he said. ``MassHighway and the Turnpike Authority have the expertise to operate and maintain a bridge like this."

Sullivan also said that placing the bridge with a transportation agency would help attract federal funds for repair and maintenance of the bridge.

The Turnpike Authority did not offer extensive comment on the proposal. Spokeswoman Mariellen Burns pointed out that transferring the bridge to the Turnpike Authority has been under discussion and recommended by at least one commission in the past.

``It is a valid issue, and it is worth having a conversation about," Burns said. ``We think it should be thoroughly reviewed."