The 138-mile long Massachusetts Turnpike, Interstate 90, spans Massachusetts
from West Stockbridge on the New York border to Logan Airport/Route 1A in East
Boston.
The Turnpike is actually two highway systems -- the original MassPike, which
opened in 1957, and the Metropolitan Highway System (MHS), which the Massachusetts
Legislature created in 1997.
The original MassPike portion runs 123 miles between the New York border and
Interchanges 14 and 15 at Route 128/I-95 on the Weston-Newton town line. The Boston
Extension portion of the MHS, runs for 15 miles between Route 128/I-95 and Logan
Airport/Route 1A, through the Ted Williams Tunnel and the I-90 Connector.
The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority was created by an act of the Massachusetts
Legislature in 1952 and does not receive state or federal tax revenue. The roadway,
including the Boston Extension in the MHS and the two tunnels, operates on toll
revenue, supplemented with revenue from leasing, development of land and air rights,
and advertising.
The MHS law assigned the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority the responsibility
of overseeing the Central Artery/Ted Williams Tunnel (CA/T) Project. Upon completion
all CA/T roadways will become part of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority's MHS.