MassDOT Travel Plaza Lease Update

OCTOBER 15, 2025

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) announced that they will be restarting the bidding process for 18 service plazas in Massachusetts. This is the latest development in an issue that the Office of Senator Driscoll has heard concerns about from many constituents in the past 3 months.

Although this move to revisit the service plaza bidding process was perhaps not done fast enough, this reset is positive and will hopefully extend opportunity to new and/or previous bidders, prioritizing cost-effectiveness and a mutually-beneficial partnership for the Commonwealth.

The Senate's Post Audit Committee began to examine the ongoing situation in recent months, rescheduling a Public Hearing previously set for September 24th, for Wednesday, October 22nd. According the the Boston Globe, Applegreen MA Investments, LLC (Applegreen), the previously awarded bid, dropped out of lease negotiations as of September 23rd.

For context, earlier this year MassDOT awarded a Transition Agreement and Lease and Concessions Agreement to Applegreen, a Dublin-based retailer. This bid was awarded to Applegreen over Waltham, MA-based, Global Partners, and outlined a 35-year partnership where Applegreen would be responsible for the operation and maintenance of service plazas on Massachusetts roads.

The initial decision to award this bid to Applegreen sparked criticism and many questions when constituents reviewed details of the bids.

To read more on this lease agreement update, see pieces from the Boston Globe and the Boston Herald.

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