Councillors propose toll booths to ease traffic congestion

By Barbara Taormina

Revere City councillors continually craft motions to ease traffic congestion, among other issues, throughout the city. This week, a motion from Councillors Anthony Cogliandro (Ward 3) and Joanne McKenna (Ward 1) took the fight against traffic down another route. The councillors propose that the City Council, the mayor, the city planner and any other relevant stakeholder begin a formal discussion on the feasibility of implementing tolls on certain city roads. Multiple state highways run through the city, putting a significant strain on the city’s residents and its infrastructure without any financial compensation from Massachusetts.

Cogliandro and McKenna stressed Revere is a cut-through city used by Boston-bound commuters throughout the North Shore and the city doesn’t receive any financial aid or support to help with the traffic volume problem that causes. They believe tolls would cut down traffic and create a significant revenue stream that would help pay for the new high school and bolster the city’s infrastructure. Revere residents and city employees would be exempt from any local tolls.

Ward 2 Councillor Ira Novoselsky said local tolls would never happen because they would need to be approved by MassDOT. Novoselsky said a toll was approved for Ocean Avenue in 2009, but it hasn’t been implemented yet.

Councillor-at-Large Juan Pablo Jaramillo praised the motion and said dynamic pricing would encourage the use of public transportation, one of the best ways to control traffic.

Ward 5 Councillor Angela Guarino-Sawaya also fully supported the idea and felt the first toll should be on North Shore Road. Guarino-Sawaya figures if every car paid 50 cents and even if 40 cents went to the state and Revere only kept a dime, the toll would generate millions of dollars. And it would reduce traffic and increase safety.

Novoselsky insisted that if toll booths went up on state roads, the city wouldn’t see a penny. “Maybe we might get a few bucks, but no way do I see this going through,” he said.

Cogliandro said Revere deserves to be getting some revenue and support because of all the state roads and traffic. He said the motion is only calling for a discussion on tolls. “Let’s start a bigger conversation,” he said.

City Council President Marc Silvestri proposed requesting that the mayor start a conversation with MassDOT to give Revere its share of existing tolls.

McKenna said she has filed that motion three times and it goes nowhere. “They don’t even look at us,” she said.

“So, we’ll give it one more shot,” said Silvestri.