image description — MassDOT is currently in the process of transitioning to All Electronic Tolling (AET) for I-90, both directions.

Free Turnpike Transponders to be Handed Out at Pittsfield Farmers Market

12:34PM / Wednesday, August 03, 2016Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier and Jessica Vecchia of the Downtown Pittsfield Farmers Market have collaborated to bring the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s E-ZPass Van to the Downtown Pittsfield Farmers Market, on The Common on First Street, on Saturday, Aug. 6, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. to distriubute free transponders for the Massachusetts Turnpike.

MassDOT is currently in the process of transitioning to All Electronic Tolling (AET) for I-90, both directions. MassDOT intends to test AET software during the summer of 2016 and to activate AET by the end of the year. A previously scheduled "go live" date in the month of October will occur if software testing goes as planned before September.

To help local constituents sign-up for the free transponders, Farley-Bouvier contacted the Downtown Pittsfield Farmers Market and MassDOT with the idea to have the EZ Pass van at the market. A couple years ago the same initiative occurred and the response was overwhelming. As a result, this year MassDOT decided to bring two vans on Aug. 6.

AET gantries, placed over the road and equipped with sensors, will electronically register tolls from vehicles that pass under any gantry. Drivers will no longer have to stop at a toll plaza and will be able to maintain a safe highway speed.

If a vehicle has an E-ZPass transponder, the toll is automatically charged to the customer’s E-ZPass account that the transponder is registered to.

If a vehicle does not have an E-ZPass transponder, cameras mounted on the gantry will capture a photograph of the vehicle’s license plate and the registered owner of the vehicle will be sent an invoice. Pay-by-Plate users will pay a surcharge. EZ-Pass users pay the normal toll.

Drivers who currently have no E-ZPass transponder are encouraged to obtain one. Applicants must bring vehicle registration, $20 to open an E-Z Pass account, and photo identification to obtain a transponder. The transponders are issued free and the $20 account will be used to pay charges for Massachusetts Turnpike travel.

Tags: MassPike, travel,

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Pittsfield Cannabis Cultivator Plans Dispensary

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
12:57PM / Friday, December 26, 2025

PITTSFIELD. Mass. — A cannabis cultivator and manufacturer has opted to sell its products on site in Downing Parkway.

The Zoning Board of Appeals this month approved a special permit for J-B.A.M. Inc. to operate a dispensary out of its existing grow facility. There will only be changes to the interior of 71 Downing Parkway, as there will be less than 500 square feet of retail space in the 20,000-square-foot building.

"My only concern would be the impact, and really would be traffic, which I don't think is excessive, the odor, if there was one, but that doesn't seem to be an issue, and I think it's a good location for a marijuana facility," board member Thomas Goggins said.

The company's indoor cultivation site plan was approved in 2019, an amendment to add manufacturing and processing in 2021, and on the prior day, a new site plan to add a retail dispensary was approved by the Community Development Board.

J-B.A.M. cannabis products are available in local dispensaries.

The interior of the facility will be divided to accommodate an enclosed check-in area, front entrance, retail lobby, secure storage room, offices, and two bathrooms. There are 27 parking spaces for the facility, which is sufficient for the use.

No medical or recreational cannabis uses are permitted within 500 feet of a school or daycare, a setback that is met, and the space is within an industrial park at the end of a cul-de-sac.

"The applicant desires the restructuring of the business to be more competitive in the industry with the ability to grow and sell their own cannabis products so they have more financial stability," Chair Albert Ingegni III, read from the application.

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