Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan proposes widening the Beltway and I-270 to include 4 toll lanes

The Washington Post ^ | September 21, 2017 | Robert McCartney, Faiz Siddiqui and Ovetta Wiggins

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) on Thursday proposed a $9 billion plan to widen three of the state’s most congested highways — the Capital Beltway, Interstate 270 and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway — in what he said would include the largest public-private partnership for highways in North America.

The projects would add four toll lanes each to Maryland’s portion of the Capital Beltway (I-495) and to I-270 from the Beltway to Frederick. It would also widen the Baltimore-Washington Parkway (MD 295) by four toll lanes after taking over ownership from the federal government.

Because of private-sector involvement, Hogan said, the plan would not cost taxpayers any money. Instead, he said, because of the toll revenue, the state could potentially reap billions of dollars of additional funds.

Only the new lanes would have tolls; the others would remain free, he said.

The plan represents Hogan’s biggest proposal in two and a half years in office to unclog traffic for Maryland residents, who he said suffer the second-longest commuting times in the nation. He said the venture is patterned in part on work done in recent years across the Potomac in Northern Virginia, where public-private partnerships have added High-Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes on the Beltway and Interstate 95, with plans to add more on Interstate 66.

“These three massive, unprecedented projects to widen I-495, I-270 and MD 295 will be absolutely transformative, and they will help Maryland citizens go about their daily lives in a more efficient and safer manner,” Hogan said Thursday in announcing the plan.

The proposal immediately drew criticism from some Democrats and from environmentalists and smart-growth advocates, who would prefer to invest more in public transit. They said bigger roads would ultimately lead to suburban sprawl and an increased number of drivers, in turn worsening congestion.

[ptsal]

Add chain link and barbed wire....call it prison.

[xrmusn]

495 basically ends just before the Parkway but the 3rd ‘pay’ lane could run to Cabin John Bridge (American Legion).

I thought or was thinking the Express lanes into DC run into 14th St bridge are they not part of the ‘no cash run’?

ALso 66 will be opening inside the Beltway to Rosslyn and into DC are now just HOV....(I was basically counting HOV as part of the ‘problem’ of restricted express lanes running straight into congestion.

This area would be ‘perfect’ without all the Govt Slugs using the highways.....HA HA

[vooch]

Agreed - fully privatize the interstates, not some crony capitalist public-private partnership. Sell the interstate lock, stock, and barrel with ZERO regulatory oversight.

The free market will generate massive efficiencies.

[Dont tread and Live]

Hogan is an idiot....and a RINO

[xrmusn]

Isn’t the German Autobahn basically the same way.
The government said— we want a high speed highway built to last so many years.

YOU design, build and maintain for x # of years.

Little easier to do if one is able to imprison the ENTIRE company with a few executions thrown in if the builder doesn’t live up to his end of the deal.

Of course, the govt can renege (can we still say that or is that the ‘r’ word?) whenever it pleases.

[VietVet876]

Compared with the febrile twats gearing up their 2018 runs against him, he’s a paragon of competence.

[Magnatron]

The toll road mentality that’s taking over reeks of elitism.

They are doing it down here in Charlotte, adding two toll lanes to the congested and under-sized I-77 north of the city. The new toll road goes through the tony Lake Norman and could cost as much as $20 to traverse during peak hours.

Tell me those aren’t rich people lanes while the rabble gets to sweat in traffic like Michael Douglas in “Falling Down”.

[bus man]

So they're going to charge motorists tolls to use the roads that their taxes paid to construct and maintain.

No they're not. Read the article. Hogan is quoted as saying that only the new lanes will be tolled; the existing lanes will remain free. In other words -- every bit of the highway capacity that you have available for free today will remain free.

Personally I can't wait for this to be done. That way, I have a choice: pay more (through tolls) for a faster ride, or go for free but endure congestion. Everyone gets to decide for themselves what their time is worth, and whether or not it's worth it to use the toll lanes.

I would just hope that they would use the HOV-3 technology on the E-Z Pass like Virginia does, so that carpoolers can use the HOV lanes for free.

And for those (not Freepers, most likely) who are complaining this plan somehow shortchanges mass transit, that just shows how little they know. Maryland already has an extensive system of commuter buses that run from various suburbs into Washington. Letting them use the HOV lanes will do wonders to speed their trip and thus make them even more attractive to a much wider share of the commuting population. I would envision the ridership to skyrocket once these lanes open.

[Wuli]

I say we cut the federal employment in D.C. by 1/2, and end the need for more highway lanes.