Varying toll plans share a similarity: You still pay more

Commuters might avoid the full brunt of a toll increase that had been planned for April, but they will probably still be paying more at the booth, a majority of Massachusetts Turnpike Authority board members said yesterday.

The final verdict on the unpopular toll increases remained clouded after a much-anticipated authority board meeting yesterday. But the four board members in attendance said their opinions have been influenced by the public outcry that followed a recommendation in November to raise tolls substantially throughout Greater Boston to help pay off Big Dig debt.

Three of four members attending yesterday, a majority on the five-member board, agreed they would probably vote on some form of toll hike next month. The most prominent compromise would be a two-step process meant to buy more time for the Legislature to pass a bailout for the financially troubled authority.

Step one: Raise tolls by 25 cents at the Allston-Brighton and Weston booths, to $1.50 for cash customers and by $2 at the Sumner and Ted Williams tunnels, to $5.50. Those stopgap increases would take effect in April, covering the authority's operating deficit through June 30.

Step two: Raise tolls substantially, as proposed earlier, to $2 at the Allston-Brighton and Weston booths and to $7 at the tunnels for cash customers, if the Legislature has taken no action by that point. Those increases would take effect July 1 and pay for the authority's construction plans and debt needs, totaling about $100 million.

"It gives our leaders the opportunity to find other solutions," said Michael P. Angelini, the board member who proposed the new plan.

Angelini said the authority could cancel either increase if the Legislature acts in time to avoid it.

New state Transportation Secretary James A. Aloisi Jr., who is chairman of the authority board, said he would consider Angelini's plan carefully, but did not commit to it or any other proposal. He said he was sympathetic to toll payers and hopeful that he could present a comprehensive plan to fix the state's transportation problems in the next few weeks. But that would probably not prevent a toll vote in the meantime, he said, because the authority is otherwise at risk of defaulting on its debts.

"There are real needs, so I think in February, we're looking at a toll vote," he said.

A third member, Judy Pagliuca, said after the meeting that she was "close to supporting" Angelini's plan, or something similar.

Mary Z. Connaughton, the fourth member in attendance, said the authority should take advantage of the political mood in the Legislature to eliminate all tolls in favor of a higher gas tax.

The increases as initially proposed by the board in November, which could tap commuters for hundreds of dollars more a year during a down economy, have galvanized motorists and their political representatives. Michael Kelleher, a wine salesman from East Boston who founded an organization opposing toll increases, said yesterday that he was urging members of his group to contact legislators and Governor Deval Patrick to fix the turnpike's problems quickly. He said he would not support any toll increase, even if it's billed as a compromise.

"This is a big problem," said Kelleher. "It needs to be addressed fully and not piecemeal like this."

Representative David P. Linsky, a Natick Democrat who leads a caucus of legislators from the western suburbs, said lawmakers in his area and the North Shore would not pass an increase in the gas tax if tolls rise, even if the increase is smaller than first proposed. "It doesn't matter if it's a $7 toll or a $5 toll on the tunnels," he said. "Either one is an increase and too high."

But no matter what happens with the toll increase, most commuters who use the turnpike will soon be paying more. The authority passed a measure yesterday that some members called a backdoor toll hike: a 50 cent monthly fee beginning June 1 for drivers who use a Fast Lane pass.

At the same time, the authority eliminated the $25.95 fee for new Fast Lane transponders, beginning Feb. 15, with a toll credit for those who bought one 30 days before that date. But all motorists who own a transponder, even those who bought them before the giveaway, will have to pay the monthly fee, which is expected to generate $4 million to $5 million a year for the authority.

Pagliuca voted for the proposal, but said it was misleading to call the transponders free. "This is a way of keeping the toll hike looking lower," she said.

Turnpike Executive Director Alan LeBovidge has not endorsed a toll plan, but says he needs $100 million a year to meet the debts and keep the roads, bridges, and tunnels operating. Noah Bierman can be reached at nbierman@globe.com.