MDOT chief: Toll increases are unavoidable
Whether Marylanders like it or not, tolls have to go up, Maryland's transportation chief says.
Beverly Swaim-Staley, who in her role as secretary of Transportation chairs the Maryland Transportation Authority, said the package of $210 million in toll increases outlined yesterday for a committee of the authority's board is a regrettable necessity. She said the authority needs the increased revenue to pay bondholders and to keep up with the escalating costs of maintaining an aging system.
"They are at an age where they need major rehabilitation and we need to pay for that rehabilitation," Swaim-Staley said.
The secretary noted that both the Hatem and Nice bridges are 70 years old, while the two spans of the Bay Bridge opened in 1952 and 1973. The Harbor Tunnel is 55 years old, and the John F. Kennedy Highway opened in 1963.
Swaim-Staley also noted that most of Interstate 95 as it goes through the city -- a stretch of highway that the authority maintains -- is the equivalent of a long bridge because the roadway is elevated. The authority's current maintenance plans call for expensive rehabilitation projects along much of the roadway approaching the tunnels under the harbor.
The details of the toll package outlined by the authority's staff are not graven in stone. Swaim-Staley noted that the package will be the subject of nine public hearings starting in June, giving the board an opportunity to make adjustments in response to public concerns.
But Swaim-Staley said the overall size of the toll increase is relatively inflexible because of the consequences of failing to raise enough money to meet the system's obligations. She said a failure to act could result in a default, which would cost the authority its top-tier AA bond rating and escalate the cost of future borrowing.
Categories: Maryland toll facilities
Comments
Raising the prices, crazy, what they are really saying in they need to pad the pockets of the executives better. They already get a crap load of money from the gas tax. I could manage that entire system and reduce costs by $1 billion over a 10 year period. These are just people that want to legally rob you blind.
Posted by: Phillip | May 12, 2011 2:58 PM
This plan to raise the tolls is completely in concert with the obvious Governor O'Malley governments attempt to drive working people to the brink of financial disaster to fund the needs of people who don't work and are not citizens.
This of course is the Democratis core constituency. In addition there are hundreds of thousands of government workers who need more of your money to not work very hard and retire in a style that you will never even be able to even dream of.
If you have wondered why the businesses are leaving Maryland in droves now you know.
Posted by: nickel | May 12, 2011 4:29 PM
I beg the House and the Senate to lock the transportation trust fund immediately! I will pay $10 per crossing if I knew that every last penny paid for transportation improvements instead of balancing the budget. Please lock the trust fund right away before we see more "transfers" when it comes time to shore up the budget.
Posted by: BP | May 12, 2011 4:51 PM
Dear Maryland Transportation Authority,
Can you say legalized extortion??
Thieves!!!!
If you don't like this - kiss my grits!!!
Think about it!!!!
Posted by: concerned Citizen | May 12, 2011 4:53 PM
Yeah, we realize that raising tolls is unavoidable, but doubling, and in some cases raising them seven fold (see increase for Hatem Bridge commuters)???
Posted by: Greg | May 12, 2011 5:18 PM
It was only a few years ago that it was $1 for the tunnels, $2 for I-95 etc. Costs have not gone up that much - just tell the truth - "We have raided the transportation fund to balance the budget because we dont have the spine to make responsible budget cuts"
Posted by: ME in Towson | May 12, 2011 5:55 PM
Maryland never misses a chance to grab from the citizens' wallets. Citing the older facilities in the state brings to mind that in Virginia once a facillity is paid for, the tolls go away as in the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel, VA Beach Expressway, and Richmond/PEtersburg sctn of I-95. With scanner technology now available, it won't be long before I-68, 70, 81, 83, the rest of 95, 97, 195,295,395,495, 595 (aka US50-301),695,795 MD-100 and all the rest will be toll roads too. Cut costs, save, money, then come begging.
Posted by: Rob | May 12, 2011 7:42 PM
As I have said before, the authority has already doubled tolls on the system, except for the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, and then further increased tolls on trucks and instituted charges for E-Z Pass accounts.
My recommendation, in the interest of fairness, is to double tolls on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge before doing anything else to increase revenues. This I have said before, also.
Or maybe the authority could even look into cutting costs where they can, first, before raising new revenues.
Posted by: mpetrie98 | May 12, 2011 11:08 PM
Swaim-Staley is disingenuous at best. Tolls were doubled in 2003 under Ehrlich at the Harbor Crossings and increased 25% on the JFK to help pay for the ICC, not to benefit these facilities. O'Malley supported the ICC project by going forward with it. Tolls were increased in 2001 to fund a Glendening transit initiative which had nothing to do with the Transportation Authority facilities. These toll increases are a regrettable necessity only because of past poor decision making detrimental to the Authority's existing toll facilities.
Posted by: Eric | May 13, 2011 7:43 AM
I saw elsewhere that a discount to all MD ezpass holders was being considered. Why not go through with the 2011 scheduled increases, then in 2013, raise the commuter rates, and raise non md ezpass and cash rates to the 2013 levels, but leave all md ezpass accounts at the fall 2011 increase levels? I'd live with that compromise, it creates a new incentive to get an ezpass, and it hit's it harder to out of state drivers.
Posted by: BB | May 13, 2011 9:21 AM
Instead of driving across the Bay Bridge to shop, I'll instead drive east across the Delaware state line and pay NO TOLLS and NO TAXES! Thanks to our brilliant politicians for saving me more money!
Posted by: Eastern Shore Resident | May 13, 2011 11:29 PM
Great idea! Rather than drive across the Bay Bridge to shop, I'll now drive east across the Delaware state line where I'll pay NO TOLLS and NO TAXES! Thanks to our brilliant politicians for spurring me--and other Eastern Shore residents--to save more money! You guys are THE BEST!
Posted by: Eastern Shore Resident | May 13, 2011 11:35 PM
Why the MdTa has special trucks and can't combine SHA as one? They do maintenance but look like something for show. What an overlap and waste of our Tax dollars.Both Modals MdtA & SHA get funded from Transportation money we will never stop spending or try to curve spending. The Gov appoints the MdTa Boad members and the Secretary, and this is all a scam to rape the taxpayers of Maryland.
I will be so glad to get out of Maryland in a few years this state is sickening anymore wiith it's stuff suit politicians.
Maryland really Suckks!
Posted by: Concerned Tax Payer | May 15, 2011 8:49 AM