Posted on 09/19/2013 7:49:49 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Rush-hour commuters could pay nearly $5 a day in tolls to travel back and forth on a seven-mile stretch of express toll lanes set to open next year along Interstate 95 east and north of Baltimore, according to proposed pricing approved Thursday by the board of the Maryland Transportation Authority.
The new lanes, scheduled to open late next year, would offer a quicker travel option for commuters willing to pay.
The suggested tolls vary by the time of day and the type of vehicle, but a car traveling on the toll lanes during peak hours would pay between 25 cents and 35 cents per mile.
The board's unanimous vote kicks off a nearly seven-week period during which residents and commuters will have a chance to comment online, by mail and at public hearings. The comment period ends Nov. 4.
The board is scheduled to take a final vote Dec. 12 on the recommended tolls. The tolls will be set by MdTA Acting Executive Secretary Bruce Gartner, based on the board's recommendation.
Ragina Averella of AAA Mid-Atlantic welcomed the new lanes.
"They will alleviate congestion and give motorists options," she said. "While nobody is ever really happy about tolls, that being said, there are certainly other transportation options that exist if you choose not to pay those fees."
State officials estimate total daily traffic on the stretch of I-95 will be 178,000 vehicles on weekdays and 172,000 vehicles on weekends when the toll lanes open next year.
(Excerpt) Read more at baltimoresun.com ...
Maryland “Freak State” PING!
to.
Move.
Now.
buck toll roads..
I pay my “toll” at the fuel pump.
we have um here in Minneapolis to. I won’t travel them. They are free to people with 2 or more in the car.
Normally, that’s all you see in that lane.
Eventually they will bump it up to 3 in a car or you pay if they find only 2 in a car are using it.
being out here on the left coast I had no idea such things as toll roads still exited.
somehow the term sounds like something from the 1800s.
AAA does not stand up for travelers especially car drivers....they're into pushing cruises and air travel...that's all their mags push....( I am a member..for the car service and occassional map)
the main roads going to Seattle has started taking tolls, or at least pretty soon.....I wouldn’t put up with it...I’d take the bus before I’d pay they’re stinking tolls...
In the private sector, greater demand is rewarded with price increases, then greater supply and lowered prices. In the so-called “public” sector, greater demand is summarily punished with higher taxes.
It it from long back, actually. But “toll” only means a fee, so it’s not actually outdated. Most roads early on, whether private or public (rare) were toll.
And this is where the “outdated” terminology comes in. “Turnpike” refers directly to the methods to keep people off roads. If you paid the toll, they turned the pike that blocked the way.
I don’t know if all turnpikes today are toll roads, but I just think of the Jersey Turnpike, and that is definitely tolls.
Im no certain that the Toll is for the Golden Gate Bridge as I never use it...but it may be in the same range as the 7 bucks mentioned in the article.
Top and Middle level management is paid VERY WELL in these instances
$2.50 for seven miles in that part of the country seems pretty reasonable. Less than half, I’m sure, than a lot of the roads around Chicago.
California has toll roads in the L.A. area. Washington has two toll bridges (SR 520 and Tacoma Narrows) and toll express lanes on SR 167. They are currently building a tunnel under the Seattle waterfront on SR 99 to replace the viaduct. It also will be tolled.
The Illinois Tollway system currently has tolls at roughly 5 cents/mile.
Tolls are not all bad. In most states that have them, the tolls pay for the highway maintenance and improvements without costing the taxpayer. Turnpikes pay for themselves and then some.
I don’t think the thruway was that expensive when I drove that stretch back in 2007.
the tolls pay for the highway maintenance and improvements without costing the taxpayer
well that is a BIG Plus!
I see that at their website. Surprises me because there are stretches of freeway that cost a pretty penny to drive back in the ‘70’s when I lived in MI. Not the Ryan or Eisenhower, but farther out. When I look now, everything’s “Illinois Tollway.” I think they were separate systems before.
Compared to the tolls in S. CA, $2.50 for 7 miles seems about right. The rates vary depending on the time of day.
Tolls are not all bad. In most states that have them, the tolls pay for the highway maintenance and improvements without costing the taxpayer. Turnpikes pay for themselves and then some.
so you are saying there is no state gas tax in those states?
darn it, i just drilled a hole in your argument didn’t I?
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