The Maryland Transportation Authority board preliminarily approved raising tolls at every major bridge and tunnel in the state and would charge Intercounty Connector users 25 percent more if they don’t use E-ZPasses. Under the plan, cash tolls on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge would rise to $5 on Oct. 1 and $6 on the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway turnpike on Interstate 95 near Delaware.
Tolls would rise again in July 2013 — cash tolls at Baltimore’s Fort McHenry and Harbor tunnels and the Key Bridge all would cost $4, up from $3 the year before, while tolls at all the state’s other facilities, including the Bay Bridge, would rise to $8.
The plan even includes raising commuter tolls, the first time officials have proposed altering the steep 70 percent discount to frequent toll travelers in 26 years. Commuter tolls on the Bay Bridge would rise from $1 to $2.80.
Tolls on the Intercounty Connector would remain unchanged. But tolls for ICC commuters who don’t use an E-ZPass would rise 25 percent, replacing the $3 flat fee billed to drivers without the transponder.
The increases are necessary to fund the costs of rehabilitating Maryland’s aging highway infrastructure and increasing the capacity of highways in the Baltimore and Washington regions, board members said. Officials estimate the higher tolls will generate $77 million in revenue in the first year they take effect.
“The MdTA board has scaled back projects and reduced expenses to delay an increase as long as possible,” said board member Louise Hoblitzell. “However, the time has come when additional revenue is required to keep pace with the cost of constructing and maintaining our facilities. There is never a good time to increase tolls, but we have a fiscal responsibility, let alone a legal obligation, to pay our bills.”
Among other projects, the state is spending $410 million on the three Baltimore Harbor crossings and $225 million on repairs to the Bay Bridge.
The vote starts a 60-day public comment period. Public hearings will be held throughout Maryland, including a June 9 meeting in Gaithersburg and a June 14 meeting in Beltsville.
