The final segment of the InterCounty Connector is scheduled to open on Nov. 22, Maryland officials announced Friday morning.
The remaining 10.4 mile stretch connecting the highway from Interstate 270 at Shady Grove to Interstate 95 in Laurel will complete the highway that has been decades in the making.
And by opening at 6 a.m. on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, the road will give riders a new route to Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport just in time to head out of town for the holiday.
“By morning rush hour on Nov. 22, the ICC will finally link the I-270 and I-95 corridors, providing motorists with a viable option to the existing congested local road network in Maryland’s Washington suburban region,” said Maryland Transportation Secretary Beverley Swaim-Staley.
The state is giving drivers a test-drive period without tolls through Dec. 4. That means free trips along the whole road, not just the new segment.
Full tolling, though, begins on Dec. 5 with most vehicles paying 25 cents per mile during peak times, 20 cents per mile off-peak and 10 cents per mile overnight. A typical car would pay $4 to drive the length of the road during peak hours if they have an E-ZPass.
But drivers without E-ZPasses, who receive their tolls due notices by mail, may want to sign up for one soon. Starting Tuesday, the penalty will be 150 percent of the tolls, up to $15 per trip, instead of a set $3 fee.
