The Massachusetts Port Authority's Office of Government and Community Affairs today announced that due to an overwhelming number of East Boston residents submitting applications for an access card, official operation of the Maverick Street Gate will begin on Friday, May 2.

"Requests for the Massport-issued access card have been tremendous," said Thomas J. Butler, Massport's Director of External Affairs. "We are pushing back the activation date of the gate to ensure that all applications are processed, and all cards are distributed before the gate goes live."

Once the gate becomes operational, only East Boston residents who possess a Massport-issued key card will have access to and from Logan Airport through the Maverick Street Gate. The gate will keep nearly all airport and Ted Williams Tunnel traffic off Jeffries Point and Gove neighborhood streets.

East Boston residents can obtain an application for an access card by calling Massport's Maverick Street Gate Message Center at 617-568-3718, or by visiting /about/publi.html. The application process, which mirrors the requirements of the City of Boston's resident parking program, requires that individuals provide proof of residency in East Boston. Applicants must submit copies of a current Massachusetts' RMV registration showing that their automobile is registered, and principally garaged in East Boston, and a recent utility or phone bill with the same East Boston address as the motor vehicle registration. Residents can apply for one card for each automobile owned. Emergency vehicles will have unrestricted access to the Maverick Street Gate.

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