Are Tolls a Good Way to Finance Roads?

At one time, tolls were assumed to be a thing of the past along the MassPike, now it appears they’re going to stay.

Drivers who live in the towns and cities along the Massachusetts Turnpike west of Route 128 are used to paying tolls. However, in 2009 the state wrote into law a deadline by which the tolls along Interstate 90 would be taken down once the state’s highway debt was paid off, the Boston Business Journal reported this week. That anticipated date is Jan. 1, 2017. The state does plan to get rid of the tollbooths as currently constituted in one form by installing a high-speed all-electronic tolling system that bills drivers as they zip through. This change will take effect as early as next year on the Tobin Bridge. The BBJ reports that top state Department of Transportation official Richard Davey wants to roll the MassPike tolls west of Route 128…

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Boston to Guide Drivers With Video Screens

The Boston Transportation Department will install six “best-route” message screens based on real-time GPS data.

The rush hour bottleneck that occurs at many of the entrances to major arteries and highways out of Boston could become a thing of the past in the near future. The city of Boston transportation department will install six “variable message screens” which will display real-time, GPS-based traffic data during the evening commute beginning this fall, according to the Boston Herald. The screens will show the best route for a driver to get onto a nearby highway – most notably Interstate 93 – along with estimated travel times, the Herald reports. The signs could be placed at the South Boston waterfront area and Government Center garages to start, according to the story, but sites have not yet been determined.

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DCR: Flooded Stretch of Route 28 in Stoneham to Reopen Thursday Night

A stretch of Route 28 in Stoneham closed due to flooding may reopen around 7 p.m. Thursday, according to a spokesperson for Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.

A stretch of Route 28 in Stoneham closed due to flooding may reopen around 7 p.m. Thursday, according to a spokesperson for Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. "About 100-150 foot section of Rt 28 (not to be confused with 128) from Elm (Street) to the (Interstate) 93 ramp, by the Fells Reservation (the area is known as the Sheepsfold Parking Lot) is closed due to flooding," said DCR spokesperson SJ Port in an email to Stoneham Patch. "...The catch basins are draining slowly. This happens from time to time with very heavy rain but not regularly." DCR rangers are at the scene and there are two detours – one at Elm Stree and one just after the exit onto I-93 south, according to Port. "We are waiting on a vactor truck to …

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I-93 Northbound Will Be Closed Tuesday Night Into Wednesday Morning

All northbound lanes of the highway will be shut down for maintenance starting 11 p.m. Tuesday and ending Wednesday at 5:30 a.m.

If you've got late night travel plans up I-93, be ready for delays or take a different route instead. The state will close all lanes of I-93 northbound from 11 p.m. Tuesday to 5:30 a.m. Wednesday. Work they'll be doing includes tunnel wall and sign washing, drain cleaning and maintenance, plus maintenance of electrical and communications systems. Here are the specific detours that will be in place while the work is underway: I-93 Northbound traffic will be detoured off the highway at Exit 16 (Southampton Street Exit) to Frontage Road Northbound. Ramps from Frontage Road Northbound allow traffic to get to I-90 Eastbound (Logan Airport) and I-90 Westbound. I-93 Northbound traffic will continue on Atlantic Avenue and re-enter I-93 Northbound …

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TELL US: Which Stoneham Area Community Has the Worst Road Rage?

Let us know by posting a comment below.

Whether you're commuting, running errands or cruising around town, we're sure you've experienced it or witnessed it at some point — road rage.  It's often in police logs, and you've probably had a few choice words yourself when you've been cut off or seen someone on the cell phone. With this in mind, we'd like to know: Which Stoneham area community has the worst road rage problem? Where are the worst spots when it comes to driving? Let us know by posting a comment in the comments. [Editor's note: Remember to keep it clean. If you violate our terms of use (check it out here) your comment will be deleted and your account may be suspended. If you have the urge to use profanity, using asterisks (*) will not suffice. Please find another way to …

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Where Does Stoneham Need a Stop Sign?

Let us know by posting a comment in the comments section below.

As a spinoff to last week's question, we'd like to know: Where does Stoneham need a stop sign? Is there a section of town desperately needing a stop sign for safety reasons? Or is a stop sign needed to simply slow down speeding drivers? Let us know where you'd like a new stop sign to be installed in town by posting a comment in the comments section below. We'll compile your answers into a recap story next week.

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Who Do You Blame For The Spike In Gas Prices?

Ask 10 different people and you might get 10 different answers as to why gas prices have spiked sharply in September.

The facts are indisputable. According to AAA, the average price for a gallon of gas in Massachusetts is presently $3.88. That's a whopping 16 cents higher than it was just one month ago. The price has actually soared to over $4 a gallon at some Middlesex County self-serve stations. For a list of the gas stations in Stoneham selling the least expensive fuel, click here for our Commute Page. Ask 10 different people to explain the cause of the off-season spike and you might get 10 different answers. Some have blamed OPEC, while others have blamed big oil companies. A recent rash of severe weather has been seen as a cause by some people, as have the energy polices and proposals of one political party or another. Still other people have blamed …

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RECAP: Readers Pick North & Main Street Intersection as Most Dangerous in Stoneham

Several votes were cast in favor of the North Street and Main Street intersection, easily garnering the most votes of the roughly two dozen submitted by Stoneham Patch readers.

When it comes to dangerous intersections in Stoneham, our readers tabbed the Main and North Streets intersection as the worst in town. Of the 21 votes submitted by our readers, seven votes (33 percent) picked the Main and North intersection as the most dangerous in Stoneham. "Definitely Main & North. It is dangerous taking a left onto Main from North. The cars opposite you that are either taking a left onto Main or going straight across Main to North don't always signal so you wait and can't tell which way they are going," wrote reader Karin Arins. "Meanwhile the cars opposite you in the next (lane) can either take a right onto Main or go straight. The ones going straight don't realize that there are cars across from them trying to take a …

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COMMENT: What is the Most Dangerous Intersection in Stoneham?

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