Maryland officials are proposing drastic increases in the amount of tolls drivers pay to use Maryland’s bridges and tunnels starting in October. Tolls on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, which haven’t been increased since 1975, would be doubled Oct. 1, increasing from $2.50 to $5, transportation spokesman Jack Cahalan said.
On the Bay Bridge, used for traveling to the Eastern Shore and the Atlantic Ocean beaches, tolls would increase again to $8 in 2013. Regular commuters would see their tolls increase from $1 to $1.50 this year, he said.
Among the reasons the Maryland Transportation Authority cited for the increases is the high cost of maintenance. And two transportation projects –the Intercounty Connector in Montgomery County and the widening of Interstate 95 near Baltimore –also necessitate the raises, Cahalan said.
| Proposed tolls | |||
| Current | Oct. 1 | 2013 | |
| Bay Bridge | $2.50 | $5 | $8 |
| Baltimore Harbor Tunnel | $2 | $3 | $4 |
| Fort McHenry Tunnel | $2 | $3 | $4 |
| Francis Scott Key Bridge | $2 | $3 | $4 |
| John F. Kennedy Highway $5 | $6 | $8 | |
“It’s not like you can just build these facilities and leave them,” he said. “You have to maintain them.”
Tolls across the entire state — including the Baltimore Harbor tunnels, the Key Bridge and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway, which is the tolled part of Interstate 95 north of the Susquehanna River to the Delaware line — also would see fares increase. The state would make about $88 million more in the first year as a result, Cahalan said.
“I think it’s a pity they’re hitting people all at once with these big increases,” said Peter Samuel, of Frederick, who edits the website Toll Roads News.
While he said he would prefer the tolls being increased in smaller increments, Samuel called the cost of tolls in Maryland reasonable compared with other states. He also said Maryland should explore cutting costs by doing away with toll booth operators.
“If the Bay Bridge is your mode of travel to and from work every day — your commuter route — there’s no alternative,” said Ragina Averella, a spokesman with AAA Mid-Atlantic. “That’s unfortunate and obviously of concern.”
But Averella added that “while we certainly don’t like the idea of toll increases, particularly at a time when gas prices continue to creep toward record highs, we do realize the fiscal challenges facing the state.”
The proposal in Maryland is still in the early stages, Cahalan said. A final version will be proposed to the Maryland Transportation Authority in June. Public hearings will be held in nine counties throughout the summer. The department wants to implement increases by Oct. 1.
Cahalan said many of the facilities, ranging from 50 to 70 years old, have maintenance costs exceeding what it took the build them. The newer span of the Bay Bridge, built in 1973, cost $148 million to build, for example. But the state is paying $172 million for a current renovation project, he said.
“Every effort has been made to defer the toll increase until it was absolutely necessary,” he said. “That time has come.”
