Putting tolls at the Massachusetts border would have a very bad impact on areas near New Hampshire, State Auditor Diana DiZoglio said Saturday afternoon as criticism continued to mount over remarks made last week by Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt.
DiZoglio, a Methuen Democrat who once served as a state lawmaker representing towns at the Massachusetts-New Hampshire state line, said the effects of a toll at the border would go beyond economics and create “unmanageable congestion and infrastructural burden” on local backroads.
“Starting a border war is not the answer and it’s definitely families within Massachusetts who would ultimately be hurt by this move — border communities count. I strongly urge the administration to reject this approach,” she said on social media.
At an advocacy event last week, Tibbits-Nutt suggested the idea of placing tolls at the border to raise money for transportation projects across Massachusetts, an idea that has since drawn pushback from conservatives in the region, including New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu.
“When I’m talking tolling, I’m talking at the borders. I’m not talking like within Massachusetts. I pay the tolls so it is one of those … where people are like ‘you just want tolls. I’m like ‘I pay the toll. This is not in my best interest to raise it.’ But we’re going after all the people who should be giving us money to make our transportation better and our communities better,” she continued.
Tibbits-Nutt is leading a task force created by Gov. Maura Healey earlier this year to develop recommendations for a long-term, sustainable transportation finance plan.
A MassDOT spokesperson said Friday that Tibbits-Nutt “was conveying that we need to have difficult conversations about how to make our transportation system work best for everyone.”
“This task force is in its early stages and no decisions have been made about its potential recommendations. Any proposals would be made in collaboration with the Legislature and other stakeholders and would carefully consider any affordability and competitiveness implications,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
Monica Tibbits-Nutt, while acting secretary before her permanent appointment as leader of MassDOT last year, listens during a Transportation Board hearing. (Nancy Lane/Boston Herald)
