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Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Massachusetts Turnpike service plazas: What to know about the $750M renovation
LUDLOW — Irish company Applegreen has released a design concept for the Massachusetts Turnpike plazas in Ludlow — a barn-like stone-and-timber look, similar to what it wants to do elsewhere on the western portions of the pike. Renovations that might begin as early as January are part of a $750 million capital improvement plan that Applegreen promised in its winning bid to take over all 18 of the state's plazas. Applegreen will pay the state a minimum of $500 million in rent over the life of the 35-year deal, but it could be as much as $994 million, depending on plaza profitability. The company is owned by private equity firm Blackstone. The deal includes not only the Western Massachusetts pike plazas — Lee, Ludlow, Blandford and Charlton — but also westbound in Westborough and Framingham, and eastbound in Natick, all in Middlesex County. There are also plazas southbound in Newton and northbound in Lexington along Interstate 95/Route 128 in Middlesex County and northbound in Beverly along Route 128 in Essex County. Besides 'western,' there will be 'coastal' and 'metro' looks, as well, according to the company. Each of the 18 plazas will get a makeover, with about nine of them getting torn down and nine getting extensive renovations, said Bob Etchingham, the co-founder and CEO of Applegreen. For example, the eastbound Ludlow plaza is a tear down. The westbound site will be a renovation. So people can use the facilities, no two sequential rest stops will be under construction at the same time. For example, if Lee is under construction, Blandford will be open. Etchingham isn't ready yet to say which plazas will close first for construction. He's in Boston this week for meetings with the state Department of Transportation and with construction firm Suffolk. 'We're working hard at the moment to mobilize,' Etchingham said in an interview. 'We are really looking forward to this project and to doing something we feel will be a huge boost for Massachusetts and the economy of Massachusetts.' He expects 2 billion people to visit the plazas over the life of the contract. Many will be first-time visitors. 'This is Massachusetts' calling card, basically,' Etchingham said. 'The commonwealth has to be happy with the infrastructure.' There were four most highly qualified proposers: 7 Eleven, Applegreen, Bay State and Global Partners. Waltham-based Global Partners is pushing Gov. Maura T. Healey and the state's bureaucracy to reconsider before a final deal is signed, saying its proposal would have guaranteed $1.52 billion over the life of the contract, said Global Partners Chief Operating Officer Mark Romaine. 'There has not been a tremendous amount of transparency here,' Romaine said. 'When you look at the bids side by side, they're not close.' Romaine answered questions Wednesday as part of an outreach strategy aimed at reversing the decision. 'We think it is a story people need to hear,' Romaine said. 'It's a failure of fiscal responsibility.' The state is standing by its recent decision. 'MassDOT was pleased to receive strong interest in this opportunity from several highly qualified companies, and we are grateful to everyone who submitted a bid. After a thorough process, the MassDOT board authorized us to award the contract to Applegreen, which has the best experience, will start faster and finish faster, and which had the only plan to transform all 18 plazas to better serve customers for the next 35 years,' said Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt in an emailed statement. Applegreen's Etchingham said his $750 million investment will begin in January and be complete by 2028, which means customers will have new plazas sooner. Global Partners proposed a $649 million investment, Romaine said. 'We had a very robust plan,' he said. 'We had some great designs that would have been best-in-class travel plazas.' A multigenerational company, Global Partners already runs Alltown and Alltown Fresh stores in the region, as well as the Honey Farms chain centered in Worcester. And Global Partners also operates convenience stores in the plazas as a subtenant, having taken over the business about 11 years ago. 'Those stores were left for dead,' Romaine said. Global Partners is only a subtenant now and on a lease that is expiring. 'The stores clearly need investment,' he said. Etchingham said Applegreen runs service plaza in nine states, including New York and New Jersey. 'We're a hospitality company with a focus on designing, building and operating service plazas,' he said. 'We're really a one-stop shop.' He expects a sharp drop-off in fossil fuel sales over the coming decades. That's a flaw in the revenue projections of the other applicants, who tried to sell the state of a high percentage of fuel sales. Both Applegreen and Global Partners pitched EV charging. 'I think people's basic needs are not going to change,' Etchingham said. 'They are still going to use the bathroom. They are still going to stretch their legs. Depending on the time of day, they are going to want food and beverage.' Travelers were grabbing plenty of both food and beverages, as well as heading to the restrooms and taking dogs for their breaks at the Ludlow plazas Wednesday. Adrienne Meisel and Rand Sparling were at a table at the eastbound plaza, eating fruit and crackers they'd brought with them. From Chicago, they were headed to a vacation on an island off the coast of Maine. 'If this is Ludlow, it could use some renovation,' Sparling said. 'Not very impressive.' Meisel said the McDonald's decor was a bit much. The music on the outdoor speakers a bit loud. Opening date set for new BJ's Wholesale Club at Springfield Crossing Big E leader: Weekend crowds will be managed with fixes to fair chokepoints, weekday tickets Big E, big business, big opportunity: Expo's CEO highlights $1.17B in economic ripples to region Read the original article on MassLive.
Irish Times
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Craig Casey happy to lead Ireland into Georgia's ‘hostile environment'
A slate-grey sky threatened rain as Ireland completed their preparations for Saturday night's Test match against Georgia at the Mikheil Meskhi stadium (6pm Irish time, Virgin Media One). It arrived in the shape of a brief sprinkle, nothing like the biblical downpour that had caused flooding on the streets of Tbilisi on Wednesday. The pitch is in remarkable condition; a side-note is that is maintained by an Irish company. The game is anticipated to be a sell-out. There were a couple of hundred tickets left for the 27,223 capacity stadium at Friday lunchtime. Ireland and Georgia flags stand side by side along the motorway median strip leading into Tbilisi from the city's international airport. Elsewhere the game is less visible but, come kick-off, Ireland will be in no doubt about the Georgian passion for rugby, manifest in the raucous atmosphere that attends all their home games. Ireland's newest captain, Craig Casey , got to hold his first prematch press conference. He spoke about the honour and privilege, and the acute disappointment of missing the Six Nations, before offering an insight into his prematch ritual. READ MORE 'I like to watch an awful lot of video to get my mind in it. I watch a few scrumhalves to get the juices flowing and then I watch my best bits as well. 'I will still continue to do that. I just have to lead a meeting [on Friday night] for the first time. There is a tiny bit of stress with that, but I am delighted with it. I have loved the last two weeks, taking ownership of loads of things and leaning on a good few of the leaders.' He admitted it would be a 'special day' for him and his family but so too for the six uncapped players in Ireland's matchday squad. 'It's a special week for them and their families, unbelievable for them to make their first caps. 'It's a huge opportunity for all of us, but it's a massive privilege for us to put on the Irish jersey at any stage. So, it's a huge week for them and it's up to the rest of us now to lay down a marker and make it a special one for them.' The fact that it will be in a hostile environment merely stokes Casey's competitive fire. 'It will be class to play in a hostile environment, that is exactly where you want to be as a player. We are expecting a mental atmosphere for the Georgians. 'It is a special thing to represent your country and every chance you get to do that ... is a huge privilege.'
