CONCORD – State transportation officials endorsed a plan Thursday that would move the F.E. Everett Turnpike tollbooth five miles south to Merrimack but would eliminate two exit ramp tolls in that town.

The proposal, HB 1369, is the only way to prevent the multimillion loss of toll receipts from those going to the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport while at the same time offer some relief to beleaguered commuters from Merrimack, said Rep. David Campbell, D-Nashua, the bill’s prime author.

“It is meant to address a lot of problems with the Everett Turnpike,” Campbell told the House Public Works and Highways Committee.

Merrimack town and legislative leaders said the swap is a bad bargain for their constituents, since it would mean all of them would have to pay a $1 toll instead of 50 cents getting on or off an exit ramp toll.

“The good news is the ramp tolls have been closed, the tollbooth has been moved. The bad news is the tolls have doubled,” said Rep. John Thomas, R-Merrimack. “For our town, that’s no deal.”

Senate President Peter Bragdon, R-Milford, lent his considerable weight to Merrimack’s argument, since a Senate-passed redistricting plan would for the first time put Merrimack in the heart of Bragdon’s new district.

“I do think there are some unintended consequences here,” Bragdon said. “The commuters in Merrimack that have been trying to pay the bonds off for 25 years would have their tolls doubled.”

Bragdon said he could support moving the toll farther south, between Exits 1 and 2 in Nashua. Campbell stressed that there’s no such proposal and that state officials don’t favor that option.

Instead, Bragdon and Merrimack officials testified for a competing bill, HB 1257, that simply would eliminate all exit ramps tolls in that town. State officials opposed that one because the system would lose $1.3 million a year by taking this action.

The opening several months ago of a new exit off the turnpike to the airport has allowed users to leave south of the Bedford toll and will cause the state to lose $4.4 million a year in revenue, said Turnpike Administrator Chris Waszcuk.

State law authorizes the turnpike system to go to open-road tolling that allows motorists to drive through at the speed limit while overhead technology charges them a toll.

“When we put overhead tolls on the F.E. Everett Turnpike, we had better put them in the right place,” Campbell said.

Long-term plans call for this innovation to be installed at both the F.E. Everett Turnpike tolls in Hooksett and Bedford.

It would be cheaper to install these devices for a new mainline toll plaza at Exit 10 in Merrimack than at the existing toll site in Bedford.

Under the plan, 50-cent ramp tolls would remain at Exit 10 but would be eliminated at Exits 11 and 12.

“There is really no perfect solution; each one of the alternatives is flawed,” Waszcuk said. “From a financial, operational and construction point of view, this is the best option.”

The turnpike system would get $1.5 million more a year than it does now with the new toll location, in part because the number of toll lanes would drop from 33 to 16.

Merrimack officials back in the mid-1980s had asked for the ramp exits and accompanying tolls as part of a campaign to bring Digital Equipment Corp. and thousands of jobs to the town.

Rep. Candace Bouchard, D-Concord, said the state’s $49 million improvement needs to be taken into account with any move to eliminate Merrimack ramp tolls.

“Would the town of Merrimack be willing to pay back the state for the investment that has been made?” Bouchard asked rhetorically.

Merrimack Town Councilor Tom Mahon said it would be only fair to also make Manchester and Nashua taxpayers pay for the turnpike improvements in those communities without any tollbooths.

“We would be happy to repay the state for the toll just as soon as everyone on the route repays the state for work done in their communities,” Mahon said. “If Nashua is willing to pay for the eight exits it has, than Merrimack is willing to pay for the three exits it has.”

Merrimack lawmakers got behind a third bill, HB 1192, for a volume discount for E-ZPass holders. The bill would let these motorists go through a toll location for free after having been charged for their first 16 trips in a month.

Kevin Landrigan can reached at 321-7040 or klandrigan@nashuatelegraph.com; also check out Kevin Landrigan (@KLandrigan) on Twitter and don’t forget The Telegraph’s new, interactive live feed at www.nashuatelegraph.com/topics/livefeed.

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