I-95 ETL Cutbacks

[MDRoads]

The Maryland Transportation Authority, faced with slumping revenue and the increasing cost of maintaining aging roads, tunnels and bridges, has drastically cut back one of its two current "mega-projects" - adding "express toll lanes" to Interstate 95 in the White Marsh area.

link to full story:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/commuting/bal-md.highway08mar08,0,5631842.story

[Alex]

Wow, as if the $5 toll at the Hatem Bridge was not too much as it is (and always has been IMO). Look at the prospective toll schedule:

2001    2003    2011    2013
Baltimore Harbor crossings *    $1    $2    $3    $4
Nice Bridge (U.S. 301)    $3   $3    $5    $5
Bay Bridge    $2.50    $2.50    $4    $5
I-95, Hatem Bridge (U.S. 40)    $4    $5    $6    $6

Yeouch! When heading northbound to Delaware, I almost always opt for heading up to the Conowingo Dam and the free U.S. 1. Yes, it takes extra time, but the traffic volumes are so much lower, the scenery is great, and it puts me in line with MD-273 to enter Newark via DE-273 or via local backroads. Looks like I will have $1 more of an incentive to continue doing this.

$4 tolls for the tunnels and Key Bridge, wonderful. 

So the elements of the Express Toll lanes are removed permanently, or simply deferred until funds are acquired?

[mightyace]

Wow, as if the $5 toll at the Hatem Bridge was not too much as it is (and always has been IMO). Look at the prospective toll schedule:

2001    2003    2011    2013
Baltimore Harbor crossings *    $1    $2    $3    $4
Nice Bridge (U.S. 301)    $3   $3    $5    $5
Bay Bridge    $2.50    $2.50    $4    $5
I-95, Hatem Bridge (U.S. 40)    $4    $5    $6    $6

Which of these facilities are tolled both direction and which are tolled one-way?  IIRC I-95 is only tolled "Northbound".

[MDRoads]

Part of the cancellation is the ramp connections to/from I-695. Those new ghost ramps are going to be there for a long time.  If no connection to 695, they could have saved money by just bridging the toll lanes over the old interchange.

Also gone is the new MD 43 interchange. It was only slated to go another 2 miles past 43 anyway (next exit, MD 152, is another 8 miles). 
Hopefully they can still replace the bridges over Campbell Blvd. (the current end of the new lanes); traffic on Campbell under there is constricted.

[MDRoads]

Which of these facilities are tolled both direction and which are tolled one-way?  IIRC I-95 is only tolled "Northbound".

Harbor Crossings - both ways
US 301 Nice Bridge - haven't checked, probably both ways
I-95, US 40 Bridges - one-way NB (95), EB (40)
Bay Bridge - one way EB

[froggie]

Nice Bridge is tolled one-way southbound (towards Virginia).

[J N Winkler]

Well, this is unfortunate.  We may not see KH-1302-000-006 (Phase II of the I-95/I-695 stack) until 2020 at this rate.  This is a huge waste because the construction plans were more or less ready to go to bid a couple of years ago, and will probably have to be redone by the time MdTA actually gets the money to finish construction.

[Ian]

That is a shame. I was looking foward to seeing the megastack when it was fully complete. Now, ghost ramps?

[Alps]

The stack itself will apparently still be complete, just without toll lane connections.

[Ian]

The stack itself will apparently still be complete, just without toll lane connections.

Oooh ok, I think I can see this.

[J N Winkler]

As I recall, the construction plans for KH-1301-000-006--the first phase which has been under construction and is soon to be finished, if it hasn't been already--do not actually show any unfinished ramps which would become ghosts if KH-1302-000-006 were delayed indefinitely.  It does have bulges on several direct connectors where ramps to be built under KH-1301-000-006 were to connect.  These bulges correspond to future diverge gores and the unfinished branches will be protected by concrete Jersey barrier until the complete project is finished.

[jwags]

I couldn't wait to see the new mega stack.  Now I am dissappointed because it won't be built. 

[MDRoads]

I couldn't wait to see the new mega stack.  Now I am dissappointed because it won't be built.  

There just won't be this set of extra ramps to the new lanes.

[Duke87]

Eh, if they don't have the money they don't have the money. At least they're not burning their bridges and provision for finishing the project in the future is still in place.

[Alps]

Eh, if they don't have the money they don't have the money. At least they're not burning their bridges