Massachusetts Turnpike/I-90 (Current Projects, Conceptual Improvements, & Long Term)

Of the six bidders for the state’s big service-plaza redevelopment lease, only two are based in Massachusetts.
And now one of those local bidders, Waltham-based petroleum supplier Global Partners, is fuming because it was passed over in favor of Applegreen, an Irish company backed by private equity giant Blackstone, for the hefty 35-year contract to redo the state’s 18 highway service plazas.
[...]
Max Slifka, Global’s senior vice president of real estate, said in a statement that Global would pay roughly 50 percent more in rent than Applegreen would in its bid. He added that that state highway officials are missing an opportunity to invest in a business with “deep Massachusetts roots” rather than handing off this important infrastructure “to outsiders with no proven stake in our state.”
 
Max Slifka, Global’s senior vice president of real estate, said in a statement that Global would pay roughly 50 percent more in rent than Applegreen would in its bid. He added that that state highway officials are missing an opportunity to invest in a business with “deep Massachusetts roots” rather than handing off this important infrastructure “to outsiders with no proven stake in our state.”

It's hard to evaluate this without seeing the competing bid documents, but I suspect there was more to it than who paid the most rent.
 
There's ~100 people protesting outside the state transportation building right now related to this.

EDIT: The demonstration lasted about 30 minutes. Not clear where everyone went.

EDIT2: They came inside! They're crowded in the atrium while there is a hearing related to the bid going on in the main boardroom.
 
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