Massachusetts Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro has put the state’s transportation leaders under a harsh spotlight, sending an investigatory letter to Acting Transportation Secretary Phil Eng that flags conflicts of interest and procedural problems in the award of a 35-year MassDOT lease to Applegreen. The move follows months of public scrutiny, a lawsuit from rival bidder Global Partners, and Applegreen’s decision to walk away from redevelopment talks, all while lawmakers gear up for oversight hearings in March.
The investigatory letter went directly to Eng and, according to Boston Herald coverage, identifies conflict-of-interest issues inside MassDOT and concludes that the procurement “was not a model procurement.” The Herald reports that the Office of the…..