A new Pilot Travel Center broke ground in Chicopee on Tuesday. The 24/7 facility on Burnett Road at the intersection of interstate 291 and the I-90/Massachusetts Turnpike will offer food, parking, restrooms and even showers. There will also be spots for commercial truck drivers. The center will be the second Pilot facility in Massachusetts. The other being off of interstate 84 in Sturbridge near the Connecticut border. It's expected to contribute a million dollars in tax revenue annually and generate seventy full time jobs.

Evan Smith, Senior Manager of Real Estate and Development for Pilot said Massachusetts is an area of interest for the company, "There's definitely room for growth here. Some of the conversations we've had here locally, Chicopee as well as other communities here in the Massachusetts area as well as with the Massachusetts state government, one of their main concerns is safety and keeping trucks off the road (when parking). We provide services here at Pilot."

Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll (D) said Pilot will be a great asset to travelers through The Bay State. "To be able to have a large, national corporate partner like Pilot investing in Massachusetts producing jobs, tax revenues, benefiting not just folks locally, but as we said earlier out of state travelers who might be coming into Massachusetts."

Chicopee Mayor John Vieau said Pilot is a great partner for the city. "One of the things is that this is one of the largest developments in our city. It might seem small to you, but it's a very significant investment that is going to bring jobs and opportunity for people and also a very safe, clean place for people to come and refuel, rest."

Pilot's Evan Smith said the hope is to have the Burnett Road facility up and running by Christmas of this year.