What's happening with the MassDOT service plaza deal?

"Irish-owned Applegreen announced Tuesday evening that it would not move forward with its agreement with MassDOT, citing concerns about the project's viability. The decision comes after competitor Global Partners, based in Waltham, launched a media campaign and filed a lawsuit claiming it could offer the state more and seeking to overturn the Board's approval of Applegreen's contract. MassDOT's Board of Directors awarded Applegreen the contract on June 18."

"In its statement, Applegreen said "costly and continued litigation threats" from Global Partners had put the project's financing and timeline at risk. "In light of these circumstances, Applegreen has terminated ongoing lease discussions," the company said. MassDOT sought proposals because leases for 14 of the 18 service plazas will expire Dec. 31. The bid rival, Global Partners, operates the convenience store at all 11 service plazas along the Massachusetts Turnpike as a subtenant of McDonald's."

"The state says it hasn't renovated the service plazas since the 1950s, and many now require major upgrades or complete rebuilding. "This project has always been about delivering the best experience for the drivers and customers who use our service plazas," said Transportation Secretary and CEO Monical Tibbits-Nutt in a statement. Tibbits-Nutt says additional negotiations were expected between MassDOT and Applegreen to give taxpayers the best value."

Applegreen notified MassDOT that it would not proceed with the redevelopment agreement for 18 aging highway service plazas, citing concerns about the project's viability. The withdrawal followed a media campaign and lawsuit from competitor Global Partners, which claims it could offer the state more and sought to overturn the contract approval. Applegreen said ongoing litigation threats jeopardized financing and the project timeline and terminated lease discussions. MassDOT had awarded the contract on June 18 and noted that leases for 14 plazas expire Dec. 31. Many plazas have not been renovated since the 1950s and need major upgrades or rebuilding.

Read at Boston.com