Months after being picked to redevelop over a dozen service plazas, Applegreen is reportedly backing out of its $750 million plans in Massachusetts.
As recently as last week, top brass from Applegreen Travel Plazas emphasized the company’s plans to refurbish or rebuild 18 services sites along the Commonwealth’s roadways, including the Mass Pike.
Bob Etchingham, chairman and co-founder of the Ireland-based company, went before MassDOT’s Board of Directors on Sept. 17, vouching for the company’s enthusiasm while addressing accusations made by a rival contract bidder.
“… we are proud of the quality of our bid and confident that our qualifications and our future-focused vision met the Commonwealth's goals. We stand ready to move forward in achieving them,” he said. “As part of a long-running campaign by the losing bidder, nearly 5,000 pages of public record requests have now been released. None of these show a violation of RFP rules prohibiting communications regarding the procurement process...”
During a June 18 board meeting, MassDOT officials opted for Applegreen and its promise of $750 million in capital investments if given a 35-year service plaza management contract.
State officials picked the Blackstone-backed company over the Massachusetts-based Global Partners, which has maintained their own bid was better for the state. GP also operates convenience stores at many of the state’s plazas as is.
“I'm struggling to understand how this state that I love so much plans to award this contract to a foreign-owned, private equity-backed bidder with a weak track record and a weaker return to taxpayers over a homegrown company that puts its heart and soul into servicing the people of Massachusetts every single day,” said Senior Vice President of Real Estate Max Slifka during the June meeting.
The company went on to challenge MassDOT in court, filing a lawsuit on Sept. 15, seeking both a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction. The company argued the contract’s procurement process was “deeply compromised” and involved “illicit communications, undisclosed conflicts of interest, and violations of Massachusetts procurement and ethics laws.”
A week later, Applegreen said it was out. Addressing the media, the company stated the move came after three months of “good faith negotiations” with MassDOT, and that “open issues,” “costly and continued litigation threats” and other factors “jeopardized the project’s timeline and financing.”
In a statement to WAMC, state Transportation Secretary and MassDOT CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt said that after a “comprehensive, transparent selection process,” additional negotiations were expected. However, she said it had become “clear that Applegreen is no longer the right partner to deliver on this project.”
WAMC has reached out to both Applegreen and Global Partners for comment.
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Full statement from MassDOT’s Monica Tibbits-Nutt:
“This project has always been about delivering the best experience for the drivers and customers who use our service plazas. After a comprehensive, transparent selection process, additional negotiations were always expected between MassDOT and Applegreen to provide the best possible value for taxpayers. It is now clear that Applegreen is no longer the right partner to deliver on this project. Our focus is on moving forward to deliver the highest quality service plazas as quickly as possible for the people of Massachusetts.”
Full statement from Eric Slifka, CEO and President, Global Partners
Applegreen’s decision to walk away underscores the very concerns raised for months: their proposal was never financially sound and never in the best interests of the Commonwealth.
Independent reviews by KPMG and MassDOT’s own experts found that Applegreen’s terms failed to satisfy the state’s revenue goals, falling hundreds of millions of dollars short of the guaranteed rent Global Partners committed, leaving the state’s budget short from day one.
Their withdrawal confirms those risks were real. And with troubling questions about conflicts of interest and ethics violations still unresolved, it is clear Applegreen was the wrong choice for Massachusetts.
Global Partners has been rooted in Massachusetts for four generations. We are prepared to step in with a proven, low-risk transition plan that guarantees $1.5 billion in rent, and delivers on clean energy, diversity, and community commitments from day one.
This process has been difficult for all involved, and taxpayers have already lost valuable time. We stand ready to move forward, honestly, transparently, and in the best interests of our Commonwealth.
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This piece originally aired on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025.
