Intermodal Links To Ease Boston Logan Congestion
<B> Intermodal Links To Ease Boston Logan Congestion</B>
By Bob Curley
Why should business travelers believe that Massachusetts is serious about controlling the growth in utilization of Boston Logan? Consider that the state's plans include spending millions to funnel travelers to a competing facility in another state--Rhode Island's T.F. Green Airport--said Tom Kinton, director of aviation at Massport.
The state's plan to extend commuter rail service south to a proposed new station at T.F. Green in Warwick, R.I., is just one facet of an intermodal transportation plan designed, in part, to ease congestion at Logan, Kinton said. Massport also supports plans to increase utilization of another regional airport, Manchester International Airport in New Hampshire.
"Regionalization is part of the answer here," Kinton said. "In some cases, it's cheaper to fly out of these airports than Logan." He said the intermodal plan is proof that renovations and the proposed runway expansion are meant to cut delays, "not to direct all traffic to Logan."
New England Business Travelers Association president Gary Polito said cost and convenience have led his company, Bose Corp., and others to encourage employees to use alternative airports. "Many employees are willing to take the longer commute to save 45 minutes" in traffic or delays at Logan, he said.
Growth at T.F. Green and Manchester Airport has outpaced Logan's projected growth, a sign that the strategy may be working. Without taking into account such added attractions as the planned Seaport District and Convention Center, air traffic at Logan is expected to grow about 4 percent annually. But Manchester has grown about 60 percent in recent years, and traffic at Green has increased about 15 percent.
Amtrak's high-speed rail service, nearing completion, also figures prominently in Massport's intermodal plans. Officials said the new Acela trains will compete with the airlines for business travel dollars by cutting the 4.5-hour trip between Boston and New York to three hours (<I>BTN,</I> May 3). That's still slower than air travel, but commuters will have the advantage of easy access from downtown train stations. Overall, regional airports and improved rail service could divert up to 7.3 million passengers annually from Logan, said Kinton.
Congestion at Logan is partly due to the fact that it handles both big airlines and small, private aircraft. Nearby Hanscom Field already is the busiest general aviation airport in New England, so its potential to siphon off private traffic may be limited. But discussions are underway to increase the use of Worcester and New Bedford regional airports.
"Logan will have to come to grips with an essential fact: Small planes and big planes cannot forever enjoy equality if the airport is to run efficiently," the Boston Globe reported. Most of Logan's small-plane traffic will have to relocate, it said.
Meanwhile, Massport is planning some new public transportation links to the airport. The Airport Intermodal Transit Connector will connect air travelers to MBTA's Red and Blue lines, Amtrak's South Station and a proposed new water taxi service in Boston Harbor.