Weigh In: Should Maryland's Tolls Be Increased?

Residents across the state will have the opportunity to weigh in on whether transportation officials should raise tolls to pay for road and bridge repairs, as well as new highways, such as the controversial Intercounty Connector.

The estimated $2.56 billion Intercounty Connector, or ICC, is a high-tech roadway designed to reduce commuting times for suburban Baltimore-Washington dwellers. Opponents, such as The Coalition for Smarter Growth,  is too expensive and puts a burden on the environment.

The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) will hold nine public hearings this month on the toll increase proposal, which is expected to generate $77 million in its first fiscal year for the state agency that operates Maryland’s toll facilities.

Hearings started June 9. The next hearing is scheduled Monday from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Digital Harbor High School, 1100 Covington St., in Baltimore.

A full list of the hearings can be found here. 

Among the proposals is a fee increase for those who use the ICC without an EZ-Pass.

Those who don’t have an EZ-Pass would receive a toll bill in the mail, generated from a video camera on the ICC that records license plates, according to the Washington Post.

The “video rate” would replace the existing $3 notice of toll-due fee and would be 25 percent higher than the proposed cash rates.

The first phase of the ICC is a six-lane highway that spans seven miles between Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring and the Shady Grove Metro station in Rockville.

Eventually, the ICC will stretch 18 miles and connect Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, linking Interstate 270/370 with U.S. Route 1.

The toll fund would also be used for a myriad of other highway projects in the region, including improvements to the Thomas J. Hatem Memorial Bridge on US-40, work on the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway on I-95, as well as $410 million for the three Baltimore Harbor crossings.

“The MDTA Board has scaled back projects and reduced expenses to delay an increase in tolls as long as possible,” said Louise P. Hoblitzell,  a senior MDTA board member, in a press release. “However, the time has come when additional revenue is required to keep pace with the cost of constructing and maintaining our facilities.”

Under the proposal, tolls for passenger cars on the Bay Bridge would, beginning Oct. 1, increase from $2.50 to $5 and eventually would increase to $8 on July 1, 2013, .

Also, the cost for a one-way toll on the Fort McHenry Tunnel, the Harbor Tunnel and the Key Bridge would jump from $2 to $3 on Oct. 1 and then $4 on July 1, 2013, .

Other toll increases set for Oct. 1 include the John F. Kennedy Highway and the Hatem Memorial Bridge going from $5 to $6 and the Harry W. Nice Bridge in Southern Maryland increasing from $3 to $5. All three would then cost $8 on July 1, 2013.