Amendment #12, as changed to H4508

Equitable Tolling

Ms. Peisch of Wellesley moves to amend the bill in section 25 by striking lines 639 to 684, inclusive, inserting in place thereof the following:-

(b) The commission shall: (i) identify and analyze physical, technological, legal and other issues or requirements related to roadway pricing in the commonwealth; (ii) propose detailed specifications and locations, including at state borders, for possible toll gantries and other equipment necessary to assess and collect tolls; (iii) propose roadway pricing scenarios that include, without limitation, variable toll rates during peak and off-peak commute periods and their impacts on traffic congestion and revenue collection; (iv) provide estimates of annual operation and maintenance costs; (v) provide estimates of annual revenue and how revenue generated by additional toll locations may be used to improve public transportation, including but not limited to, the commuter rail and rapid transit and the maintenance and improvement of dedicated bus lanes; (vi) provide traffic forecasts including forecasts of traffic diversion impacts; (vii) provide a regional and social equity analysis with specific recommendations related to mitigating adverse impacts; and (viii) provide potential impacts on vehicular emissions reduction. The commission shall also identify all local, state and federal approvals necessary to deploy new tolls and other roadway pricing mechanisms on relevant roadways in the commonwealth.

(c) Not later than July 31, 2021, the commission shall file a written report of its findings and recommendations, including legislative recommendations and a date by which the Massachusetts Department of Transportation shall develop a plan to implement the recommendations of the commission, with the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate, the chairs of the house and senate committees on ways and means, and the chairs of the joint committee on transportation.

(d) By the date recommended by the commission, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation shall develop a plan to implement the recommendations of the commission for the development and deployment of roadway pricing and congestion pricing mechanisms in the commonwealth.

(e) For the purposes of this section, the term “Boston metropolitan area roadways” shall mean the integrated system of roadways, bridges, tunnels, overpasses, interchanges, parking facilities, entrance plazas, approaches, connecting highways, service stations, restaurants, tourist information centers and administration, storage, maintenance and other buildings that the department owns, constructs or operates and maintains pursuant chapter 6C of the General Laws which consists of the Boston extension, the Callahan tunnel, the central artery, the central artery north area, the Maurice J. Tobin memorial bridge, the Sumner tunnel, the Ted Williams tunnel, that portion of state highway route 2 and its related ramps, access roads and frontage roads from the Alewife Brook parkway interchange in the city of Cambridge to and including the interchange with Interstate 95 in the town of Lexington, that portion of Interstate 93 and its related ramps, access roads and frontage roads extending from the southerly terminus of the central artery to and including the interchange of Interstate 93 and Interstate 95 in the town of Canton, that portion of Interstate 93 and its related ramps, access roads and frontage roads extending from the northerly terminus of the central artery to and including the interchange of Interstate 93 and Interstate 95 in the town of Reading, town of Stoneham and city of Woburn, that portion of Interstate 95 and its related ramps, access roads extending from and including the interchange of Interstate 95 and Interstate 93 in town of Canton to and including the interchange of Interstate 95 and Interstate 93 in town of Reading, town of Stoneham and city of Woburn, that portion of state highway route 1 and its related ramps, access roads and frontage roads from the northerly terminus of the central artery north area to and including the interchange of Interstate 95 and state highway route 1 in the city of Peabody, that portion of state highway route 3 and its related ramps, access roads and frontage roads from the interchange of Interstate 95 and route 3 in the town of Burlington to the Alewife Brook parkway interchange in the city of Cambridge, that portion of state highway route 9 and its related ramps, access roads and frontage roads from the interchange of Interstate 95 and route 9 in the city of Newton to Massachusetts avenue in the city of Boston, that portion of state highway route 20 and its related ramps, access roads and frontage roads from the interchange of Interstate 95 and Route 20 in the town of Weston to the intersection of Soldiers Field road in the city of Boston and any additional highway, tunnel and bridge components as the general court may from time to time determine.