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Boston: Massport Board Approves Billion Dollar Capital Program

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The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) Board of Directors on Feb. 21 approved a rolling five-year program consisting of more than $1 billion to fund 341 projects as part of the agency’s fiscal year 2013-2017 comprehensive financial plan of capital improvements. 

Massport owns and operates Boston Logan International Airport, public terminals in the Port of Boston, Hanscom Field and Worcester Regional Airport. Massport is a financially self-sustaining public authority; no state tax dollars are used to fund operations or capital improvements at Massport facilities.

"Each year, this is one of the most critical votes the board makes because the plan is our dynamic road map for the next five years, and it is where our priorities are reflected,’’ said Port Authority CEO Thomas P. Glynn. "Each project in the plan is evaluated for its ability to improve safety and security, operational efficiencies, customer service, enhanced HOV service, as well as make sure facilities are in a state of good repair and that we maintain our commitment to our neighbors.’’

The capital program allocates $931 million (or 84 percent of all funding) to Logan Airport, $75 million (7 percent) to maritime, nearly $36 million (3 percent) to Worcester Regional Airport) and $11.6 million (1 percent) to Hanscom. Authority-wide projects, such as IT and infrastructure disaster resiliency, total $58.3 million (5 percent).

According to Massport, the plan will sustain the equivalent of some 700 full-time design and construction private sector jobs for the first three years of the five-year program. 

The largest initiative is the construction of the Logan Airport Rental Car Center. The $310 million project will enhance customer service, ease airport roadway and terminal curbside congestion and replace rental car diesel buses with alternative fuel buses. 

Aviation improvements include the completion of an expanded, decked safety area for runway 33L with an engineered material arresting system to safely stop an aircraft that overshoots the runway and a $137 million checked baggage inspection system, 90 percent of which is funded by the federal Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The plan also includes $124 million for renovation and rehabilitation of Terminal B, $45 million for other Logan terminal improvements and $32 million for Worcester Regional Airport safety measures, including instrument landing systems and taxiway improvements.

Massport is allocating $6.5 million for the Logan Airport Greenway and $34 million for a dedicated freight corridor to move trucks serving Conley Container Terminal away from a South Boston residential neighborhood.

The capital program totals $391 million in Massport funding, $193 million in customer facility charges, $161 million in FAA and TSA grants, $130 million in passenger facility charges and $238 million in revenue bonds, for a total of $1.113 billion. 

The capital program contains more than 100 projects, including harbor deepening and Cruiseport Boston expansion, for which no funding is available. 
 

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