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Massport Board Approves Billion Dollar Capital Program
Five Year Plan Funds 340 Projects, Supports 2,500 Construction Jobs

BOSTON -- The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) today approved a rolling five-year program of more than $1 billion to fund 340 projects as part of the Authority’s fiscal year 2012 – 2016 comprehensive financial plan of capital improvements.

“Approving the plan is one of the most important votes the Board makes each year because the five year plan sets a vision for the Authority and it is where our priorities are reflected,’’ said MassDOT Secretary Richard Davey, who chairs the Massport Board. “Each project in the plan is evaluated for its ability to improve safety, security, operational efficiencies, customer service and its impact on our neighbors.’’

This year’s plan is expected to sustain the equivalent of 505 full time design and construction private sector jobs for each year of the five year project. The largest initiative is the construction of the Consolidated Rental Car Facility for Boston Logan International Airport. The $300 million project will enhance customer service, ease airport roadway and terminal curbside congestion and replace rental car diesel buses with alternative fuel buses and improve air quality. Airfield improvements include an expanded, decked safety area for runway 33L with an engineered material arresting system to safely stop an aircraft that overshoots the runway. The plan includes $85 million Authority’s facilities; renovation and rehabilitation of Terminals B, C and E to accommodate airline growth and relocation; a bypass road in East Boston for commercial traffic headed to and from the airport which will ease traffic on East Boston streets; and a dedicated haul road in South Boston for trucks headed to and from the Conley Container Terminal, which will move noisy traffic further away from the East First Street neighborhood.

The capital program totals $301 million in Massport funding, $233 million in Customer Facility Charges, $195 million in federal grants, $130 million in Passenger Facility Charges, $144 million in revenue bonds, and $75 million in a TIFIA loan, for a total of $1.078 billion.

“The capital program is our road map for the next five years in order to meet the transportation needs of businesses and the traveling public,’’ said Massport Interim CEO David S. Mackey. “It also highlights how important an economic engine Massport is for the New England region. These projects will create needed construction jobs and permanent jobs.’’

When the Capital Program is broken down by Massport facility, Logan Airport will receive $934 million, or nearly 87 percent of the funding; Maritime will receive $60 million, or 5.6 percent, Worcester Regional Airport will receive $21 million, or almost two percent and Hanscom will get $10 million or almost one percent. Authority wide projects will total $53 million, or almost five percent.

Massport receives no state tax funding and is governed by a seven member Board. Six of the members are appointed to staggered seven-year terms by the Governor of Massachusetts, and the Secretary of Transportation serves as an ex officio member.

The capital program has another 150 projects, including important ones such as a cogeneration facility at Logan, development of the west concourse of Terminal E, a glycol treatment facility for Logan, and making improvements to the old Coastal Oil site so Conley could expand to the west, that do not have funding available at this time.

Boston Logan, 15 minutes from the intersection of Route 128 and I-90 and five minutes from downtown Boston, serves as the gateway to the New England region and offers nonstop service to 70 domestic and 32 international destinations and in 2011 handled 28.8 million passengers. Boston Logan is the Air Line Pilot Association’s Airport of the Year for 2008 because of its commitment to safety. Over the past decade, the airport spent $4.5 billion on a modernization program that includes new terminals, parking facilities, roadways and airport concessions, and has been transformed into a world-class 21st Century facility. The airport generates $7 billion in total economic impact each year.

The Massachusetts Port Authority (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 whose premier transportation facilities generate more than $8 billion annually, and enhance and enable economic growth and vitality in New England. No state tax dollars are used to fund operations or capital improvements at Massport facilities.

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