Tolls, Tolls Tolls. Whatever Happened to "Free"ways?

from the Baltimore Sun

Gov. Larry Hogan on Thursday proposed a $9 billion project to add four express toll lanes each to the entire stretches of three of Maryland’s most congested highways — the I-495 Capital Beltway, the I-270 spur connecting Frederick to D.C. and the 295 Baltimore-Washington Parkway that connects the city to Washington.

“This problem has been marring the quality of life of Maryland citizens for decades,” Hogan said at a news conference. “Today, we are finally going to do something about it.”

The massive project involves persuading the federal government to give the Baltimore-Washington Parkway to the Maryland Transportation Authority. Hogan said he has already met with U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke about the transfer, and instructed state staffers to “finalize the details.”

He told reporters that the federal government wanted to give the state the road, according to a state spokeswoman.

Hogan proposed adding four toll lanes to the entire stretch of that roadway, from Baltimore to D.C. The price tag of that project is estimated at $1.4 billion. In addition, Hogan said his office has started writing a formal request for proposals for private companies to bid on the $7.6 billion projects to widen I-495 and I-270. The companies would finance, design, build, operate and maintain those express toll lanes.

Existing lanes on each road would remain free to drivers, a spokeswoman said.

Hogan predicted the “three massive, unprecedented projects … will be absolutely transformative and will help Maryland citizens go about their daily lives in a more efficient and safer manner,” Hogan said.

which the private sector helps build roads in return for revenue the project generates have become increasingly common. That method is being used to build the Purple Line light-rail project in the Washington suburbs.

Hogan said his new plan would be “the largest P-3 highway projects in North America.”

He proposed adding four toll lanes to the entire stretch of the Capital Beltway in Maryland, from the Woodrow Wilson Bridge in Prince George’s County to the American Legion Bridge in Montgomery.

He also proposed adding four toll lanes to I-270, from it’s connection to the Capital Beltway to where it meets I-70 in the city of Frederick.