Applegreen

FILE - Scott Bosworth, MassDOT's then-Chief Strategic Officer, speaking at a June 18, 2025, MassDOT Board of Directors meeting.

News

State IG: Plenty of lessons for MassDOT to learn from Applegreen travel plaza debacle

In 2025, travel plaza operator Applegreen withdrew from plans to redevelop services areas across Massachusetts. A state watchdog says the road MassDOT took to picking the Irish company had more than just bumps in it.

FILE - As part of its proposal accepted by MassDOT, Applegreen pitched remodeling multiple highway stops if granted the state's 35-year service plaza operation contract. Plans included overhauling many of the Mass Pike's plazas, including several in western Massachusetts. Renderings such as this suggested suggested an almost total reimagining of one of the state's plazas in Ludlow.

News

Applegreen withdraws from Mass. service plaza contract, scrapping overhaul plans

James Paleologopoulos

Months after being picked to redevelop over a dozen service plazas, Applegreen is reportedly backing out of its $750 million plans in Massachusetts.

MassDOT leadership has picked Applegreen to takeover and operate 18 of the state's service areas in 2026 and beyond, including stops on the Mass Pike. The Irish company has proposed making $750 million in capital investments while overhauling many of the plazas. Early renderings of future, potential service areas include region-specific designs, including one for western Mass. The company says the area's plaza designs would feature a "tribute to the rustic beauty of the Berkshires, featuring black-trimmed wood siding, peaked roofs, and board-and-batten elements that echo traditional New England craftsmanship."

News

MassDOT greenlights Applegreen for highway plaza contract, overhaul of service stops

James Paleologopoulos

An Irish company already operating and remodeling highway service plazas in the Northeast has been picked to run nearly 20 sites in Massachusetts. Their proposals include big changes for stops on the Mass Pike.