Transportation officials meet to try to avoid toll, fare hikes

August 11, 2008 01:18 PM Email| Comments (0)| Text size – +

By Noah Bierman Globe Staff

The state's five top transportation officials met for 90 minutes today behind closed doors to discuss ways to share responsibilities and pool cash in order to avoid toll hikes and fare increases.

Transportation Secretary Bernard Cohen

The group discussed about a dozen proposals to save money, which included the state highway department and the Massachusetts Port Authority assuming more duties and contributing cash to the financially strapped Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and the MBTA. Officials did not divulge specifics after the meeting, but gave the generic example of MassHighway plowing snow for the Turnpike Authority.

Toll increases and raising MBTA fares were "an absolute last resort," because of the sluggish economy and high gasoline prices, said Transportation Secretary Bernard Cohen. "It's tough to be asking people to be paying more at this time."

Officials plan to examine the proposals to determine which are viable and report their findings to the governor.

"This was sort of a family affair," Cohen said of the meeting in the state transportation building. "I'm not saying bailout, but I am saying there are cost sharing ideas that we shared today."

Cohen released a statement last week that said he was "not prepared to support" a toll increase on the Turnpike and called today's joint meeting in hope of heading one off. The statement was issued the same day Turnpike Authority board member Thomas Stephens resigned and a week after the Legislature voted on a plan to back about $1 billion in turnpike debt and investment obligations to protect the agency from insolvency.

The Pike will consider toll increases over the next few months, and the agency's financial situation will make them very difficult to avoid. Last week, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority General Manager Daniel A. Grabauskas also warned of a possible fare increase on the state's mass transit system.

Cohen and other members of Governor Deval Patrick's administration have been working on efforts to find savings in the agencies for months, including a possible merger, but have yet to present a plan that would shore up their financial situation.

After today's meeting, Cohen downplayed a recommendation from the Transportation Finance Commission to increase the state's gas tax when asked about the proposal by a reporter.

"Right now we are focused entirely on self help," Cohen said.

Noah Bierman can be reached at nbierman@globe.com.