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Posted on 09/21/2017 8:13:26 PM PDT by 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.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Maryland “Freak State” PING!
Toll lanes—yeah, that’ll really speed up the Beltway traffic. /s
Hogan might have an “R” after his name, but he certainly doesn’t seem to behave like one lately.
Utterly predictable reaction.
Mass transit : Socialist Statists :: Private vehicles : Libertarian Individualists
Actually this seems pretty counter-government.
Especially for Hogan.
Nothing personal Tol, but DC is about the only place where I’m happy to see more toll roads.
Gee, you mean no public tax money will be involved?> It all pays for itself through tolls?? Really????
If the toll lanes go all the way, fine. The problem comes when they end and dump their traffic into the main lanes.
He stinks, but he’s better than some outright marxist I guess.
I have a similar Governor in Illinois.
Suppose they end with “lane metering” signals giving priority to the toll lanes and letting the proles glare at an angry red lens.
Imagine the anarchy!
Imagine the fine revenue!
The mass transit will be funded after all.
The problem comes when they end and dump their traffic into the main lanes.
- - - - - - - - - - -
In the DC area the Virginia toll lanes end at 2 points in DC and 1 at the MD line and 1 about 5 miles from MD line
Of course for years we had the Dulles Toll Road that ended at the Beltway which made them kind of useless inbound but pretty good leaving town....
all interstates should be fully privatized
let the free market do its magic
Thanks, Vooch. When it comes to highways, many freepers lose their logic. It often comes down to insisting that “we don’t want congestion, we don’t want tolls, and we don’t want government spending.” Unfortunately, pick one of the three once a region has more people than the highways can support. Tolls makes the most sense; let someone build it and make money on it.
Actually, there are no toll lane ends in DC at present. The I-95/I-395 express lanes run from Garrisonville to Alexandria, although they are being extended north to the Pentagon and eventually south to Fredericksburg. The I-495 express lanes run from McLean to Springfield. The upcoming I-66 rush-hour tolls run from I-495 to Rosslyn, and the upcoming I-66 express lanes will run from Gainesville to Dunn Loring.
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