Pike bars ramp access

Request denied for Harvey trucks WESTBORO— The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority has shot down a request to allow hundreds of garbage and recycling trucks to access the Mass Pike from an emergency ramp off Route 135. In response to local concerns that trucks create noise and take up space on already-congested downtown roads, state Reps. Karyn E. Polito, R-Shrewsbury, and George N. Peterson Jr., R-Grafton, asked the Turnpike Authority to consider opening the emergency ramp. The request pertains solely to trucks that use the E.L. Harvey & Sons trash and recycling center on Hopkinton Road. The facility sees as many as 200 to 250 trucks daily. Local officials have made the same plea to the Turnpike Authority before, but each time it was rejected or ignored. This time around, they were hoping new state leaders — those installed by... [read full story]