Full and original article posted on Telegram & Gazette
In a column that appeared in this space on March 15, 2009, I compared transportation reform in Massachusetts with a soccer ball kicked around on a muddy field endlessly while nobody is scoring. In view of the current World Cup competition, it might be appropriate to use another soccer analogy to illustrate progress that has been made since: The field is no longer muddy, and the home team is advancing toward the goal.
Last year’s assessment was on target. Previous reform efforts, including Gov. Mitt Romney’s 20-year, $31-billion Long-Range Transportation Plan, went nowhere. He couldn’t get rid of the deficit-ridden Turnpike Authority, an infamous patronage haven. Transportation secretaries were coming and going — four in the last five years.
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