Gazette weighs in on ICC tolls
Somewhat belatedly I came across this Sept. 30 editorial in The Gazette of Montgomery County on the proposed tolls for the Intercounty Connector.
On the one hand, it's a hoot because the Gazette was an unabashed cheerleader for the ICC during the long debate over whether to build it. Yet, in the editorial, it seems to have just awakened to the realization that the state plans to finance it with tolls that would rise periodically to prevent congestion. That has only been public knowledge since 2003, when the Ehrlich administration first floated the idea.
On the other hand, this is a wake-up call that some folks in Montgomery are trying to renegotiate the terms of what should be a done deal. The financing package for the ICC was wrapped up and given the tacit approval of the General Assembly back in 2004-2005. The idea then and now was that users of the ICC would foot a large chunk of the bill. All parties to the deal knew then that the ICC would be an expensive ride. The only question was how much.
The question the Maryland Transportation Authority has to ask is where it will get the revenue to pay off the bonds if it overrules its consultant and grants toll relief to ICC users for purely political reasons. The danger for the Baltimore area is that it would begin looking toward other toll facilities to make up the difference. Those facilities are concentrated in the Baltimore region and are already being milked to help build the ICC.
