(The following story by Casey Ross appeared on the Boston Herald website on December 27.)
BOSTON, Mass. — The state’s incoming transportation secretary says he wants to increase public investment in roads and rail and will pursue a promise by Gov.-elect Deval Patrick to extend train service to New Bedford and Fall River.
During an interview with the Herald yesterday, Bernard Cohen, 60, said he has already had discussions with Patrick about expanding “the resource base” needed to pay for the state’s ailing transportation infrastructure.
“We haven’t talked in terms of specifics, but that will be among the top issues on my plate when I take office,” said Cohen, who plans to undertake a detailed review of the state’s transportation needs.
Cohen, with more than two decades’ experience in transportation, is not new to Massachusetts politics. He was communications director for the MBTA in the mid-1980s and returned in 2003 to help oversee commuter rail services. He also has worked as a freelance reporter for both the Herald and the Boston Globe.
Between stints working in Massachusetts transportation agencies, Cohen also worked for SEPTA, Philadelphia’s public transit system and the transit authority in New York City, where he helped implement an automated fare system like the one now being introduced by the MBTA.
“Change is difficult and people in New York loved their tokens,” Cohen said. “But now it’s a non-issue in New York. You can get so many ridership benefits from using an (automated) card.”
Cohen said the $14.6 billion Big Dig offers tremendous benefits to the state, but he said the fatal collapse this summer was a “nightmare” that he expects to remain a huge issue during his tenure. “You can’t be in transportation for as long as I have and not be very conscious of safety as a top priority. That’s something we want to make sure never happens again.” Another priority is coordinating transportation projects with housing and jobs.