Maryland

[Zeffy]

Those that are near Baltimore, what intersections were affected most with the rioting?  Parts around the US-40 stub?  How is traffic in the area?  Lighter than normal?

The rioting took place near Mondawmin and Sandtown-Winchester, and from what I read Pennsylvania Avenue (MD 140) at Fulton Avenue was a big flashpoint between protesters/rioters and police.

[davewiecking]

Baltimore Sun has a good map here. Most of the civil disturbances were along North Ave and up Resitertown Rd.

[Alps]

"We used this data to validate our request for a 30 to 40-percent reduction in tolls for multi-axle vehicles, and also for the toll facilities to be relocated to the Maryland/Delaware state line,"  Moore said.

Wait wait wait, what was that last part? Just sorta thrown in there?

[cpzilliacus]

"We used this data to validate our request for a 30 to 40-percent reduction in tolls for multi-axle vehicles, and also for the toll facilities to be relocated to the Maryland/Delaware state line,"  Moore said.

Wait wait wait, what was that last part? Just sorta thrown in there?

Good question!

For many years, Cecil County politicians have been demanding that MdTA move its toll collection point on I-95 to the Delaware state line (difficult to do if cash toll collection is to continue because there is not much room between Md. 279 (Exit 109) and the border, and the Amtrak N.E. Corridor passes under I-95 on the Maryland side of the line).

Delaware politely said that their state laws do not allow them to collect tolls for an out-of-state entity on I-95 (this was suggested by those same Cecil County elected officials), and MdTA funded  a study by engineering consultants RK&K which concluded that the toll plaza should stay where it is at Perryville (unfortunately, the study is no longer online).

The demand to move the U.S. 40 toll collection point for the Hatem Bridge to near the Delaware line is one that I had not heard before, and (IMO) will not work so well, since shunpiking onto lower-class roads to the south and north of U.S. 40 will almost certainly be the result.

[Alex4897]

The demand to move the U.S. 40 toll collection point for the Hatem Bridge to near the Delaware line is one that I had not heard before, and (IMO) will not work so well, since shunpiking onto lower-class roads to the south and north of U.S. 40 will almost certainly be the result.

That's a horrible idea given that US 40 is basically a suburban drag strip (with some shorter rural stretches dotted throughout) between the river and Elkton.  Moving it would make commuting an absolute nightmare for the many people who commute that road every day.

[mrsman]

The demand to move the U.S. 40 toll collection point for the Hatem Bridge to near the Delaware line is one that I had not heard before, and (IMO) will not work so well, since shunpiking onto lower-class roads to the south and north of U.S. 40 will almost certainly be the result.

That's a horrible idea given that US 40 is basically a suburban drag strip (with some shorter rural stretches dotted throughout) between the river and Elkton.  Moving it would make commuting an absolute nightmare for the many people who commute that road every day.

Realistically, the S River is a great toll collection point, since it is very hard to get around the toll.  To lower the impact on Cecil, there should be discount plans for residents, or other frequent travelers across the bridge, similar to what Staten Island residents enjoy.

[Alex]

The demand to move the U.S. 40 toll collection point for the Hatem Bridge to near the Delaware line is one that I had not heard before, and (IMO) will not work so well, since shunpiking onto lower-class roads to the south and north of U.S. 40 will almost certainly be the result.

That's a horrible idea given that US 40 is basically a suburban drag strip (with some shorter rural stretches dotted throughout) between the river and Elkton.  Moving it would make commuting an absolute nightmare for the many people who commute that road every day.

Realistically, the S River is a great toll collection point, since it is very hard to get around the toll.  To lower the impact on Cecil, there should be discount plans for residents, or other frequent travelers across the bridge, similar to what Staten Island residents enjoy.

There used to be a toll decal that you could purchase for the cost of a single crossing that allowed unlimited crossings of the Hatem Bridge (I had one in 2005). They did away with that in 2012:

New tolls for I-95, Route 40 bridges to start July 1

The annual cost for the Hatem-only E-ZPass will double to $20 on July 1, the Maryland Transportation Authority announced.

It was initially held at $10 after the MDTA discontinued the longtime decal program for the Hatem bridge last year.

[oscar]

Realistically, the S River is a great toll collection point, since it is very hard to get around the toll.  To lower the impact on Cecil, there should be discount plans for residents, or other frequent travelers across the bridge, similar to what Staten Island residents enjoy.

There is one already, for cars with Maryland E-ZPass transponders. The gripe is that it does no good for local truck traffic.

[wphiii]

If the I-95 toll plaza is moved to the MD/DE border but the U.S. 40 toll remains at the bridge, it seems like it'd way too easy to come into MD on local roads and then jump on 95, skipping the toll entirely.

Would it make more sense to have the I-95 toll collection somewhere between Exit 109 and Exit 100, which might make shunpiking enough of a hassle that it'd disincentivize people from doing it?

Or am I thinking too deeply into this, and the vast majority of through traffic isn't going to care enough to go out of their way to avoid the toll.

[Alps]

If the I-95 toll plaza is moved to the MD/DE border but the U.S. 40 toll remains at the bridge, it seems like it'd way too easy to come into MD on local roads and then jump on 95, skipping the toll entirely.

Would it make more sense to have the I-95 toll collection somewhere between Exit 109 and Exit 100, which might make shunpiking enough of a hassle that it'd disincentivize people from doing it?

Or am I thinking too deeply into this, and the vast majority of through traffic isn't going to care enough to go out of their way to avoid the toll.

Basically, both toll points would have to be relocated simultaneously, but there are just too many other shunpikes if you relocate them at all. Not that a lot of traffic goes around the I-95 tolls right now, since it's mostly through traffic that doesn't know or care about shunpiking, but there is a bit. But move the US 40 tolls there, and now you're talking about mostly locals, so they will shunpike in droves to MD 281 and other parallel routes.

[ixnay]

The demand to move the U.S. 40 toll collection point for the Hatem Bridge to near the Delaware line is one that I had not heard before, and (IMO) will not work so well, since shunpiking onto lower-class roads to the south and north of U.S. 40 will almost certainly be the result.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Elkton,+MD+21921,+USA/@39.6061803,-75.7853838,394m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x89c7a8bcdcac45db:0x7583e382f656febd

Where would you squeeze the toll point in?

ixnay

[cpzilliacus]

The demand to move the U.S. 40 toll collection point for the Hatem Bridge to near the Delaware line is one that I had not heard before, and (IMO) will not work so well, since shunpiking onto lower-class roads to the south and north of U.S. 40 will almost certainly be the result.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Elkton,+MD+21921,+USA/@39.6061803,-75.7853838,394m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x89c7a8bcdcac45db:0x7583e382f656febd

Where would you squeeze the toll point in?

ixnay

Simple. I wouldn't.

And it would probably be illegal under Maryland law anyway.

[cpzilliacus]

Daily Record: Md. toll reductions subject of hastily scheduled meeting

State transportation officials are expected to take up proposed reductions of tolls at a hastily scheduled public meeting Thursday morning.

Details of the proposal are being kept secret. A notice posted on the Maryland Transportation Authority website Tuesday announced the meeting, scheduled for 8 a.m. at a facility adjacent to the Bay Bridge. An agenda posted online offers no details beyond a statement that the authority, headed by Transportation Sec. Pete K. Rahn, will discuss and "approve"   a proposal to reduce toll rates and fees.

Gov. Larry Hogan, prior to being sworn in, told reporters he planned to take up a review of tolls and institute a possible reduction sometime after the 90-day General Assembly session ended.

The proposed reductions could provide Hogan with a way to say he has fulfilled his promise to reduce taxes while avoiding legislative approval of the measure.

Erin Montgomery, a Hogan spokeswoman, referred a reporter to the Maryland Department of Transportation.

Rahn was not immediately available.

MdTA official meeting notice (.pdf): AUTHORITY SPECIAL PUBLIC MEETING

Baltimore Sun: With few details public, MdTA board to vote on toll reductions Thursday

Transportation officials in Maryland are poised to approve a reduction of tolls on state highways, bridges and tunnels this week – though the move has not been discussed publicly and few details were available Wednesday.

The board of the Maryland Transportation Authority has scheduled a special meeting Thursday to discuss toll-reduction recommendations drafted recently by MdTA staff at the urging of Gov. Larry Hogan, officials said.

"It's not a secret that Governor Hogan has asked our board to look at toll reductions, and staff has been working since we've gotten that call on recommendations for [the board] to look at," said Cheryl Sparks, a spokeswoman for the MdTA.

Some state lawmakers criticized the lack of notice and discussion about the move.

"So far, I haven't gotten any details on exactly what this toll decrease would mean," said Sen. Thomas M. Middleton, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. "I'm very concerned."

Middleton, a Charles County Democrat, has been a leading proponent of replacing the bridge and sent a letter to Rahn on Wednesday asking for more information about the toll-reduction proposal, saying it appeared "hastily conceived."

Middleton wrote that while it "may be politically expedient to reduce tolls," the move could have "unintended consequences" for the Nice bridge project and "would not be fair to the Charles County and Southern Maryland motorists who depend on" the bridge.

[cpzilliacus]

WBAL-TV (Channel 11): MdTA approves toll reductions in Maryland

The Maryland Transportation Authority approved on Thursday seven toll reduction packages across the state.

The MdTA approved a toll reduction for the Chesapeake Bay Bridge from $6 to $4, Melser reported.

The Baltimore E-ZPass discount will change to 25 percent. Melser reported that the MdTA will be removing the $1.50 administration fee for E-ZPass and offer more discounts.

Toll rates for the InterCounty Connector will also decrease. to 22 cents per mile during peak hours, 17 cents per mile during off-peak hours and 7 cents per mile overnight.

Washington Post: Maryland cuts tolls on Bay Bridge, ICC and other roadways

Starting July 1, motorists will pay less to drive on Maryland bridges and roadways.

Gov. Larry Hogan (R) made the surprise announcement Thursday during a hastily called press conference at the foot of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, where tolls will drop from $6 to $4.

Hogan said the roll back on rates fulfills a campaign promise to reduce the taxes and fees Marylanders pay.

"We are proud to announce what by far is our largest tax relief package to date and marks the first time tolls have been lowered in Maryland in nearly 50 years,"  Hogan said in a prepared statement. "This tax cut will put more than a quarter billion back into the pockets of our beleaguered Maryland taxpayers, and back into our economy."

The Twitterverse immediately responded with words of praise, with one person tweeting: "Never thought I'd see the day taxes in Maryland would go down. Thank you."  Added another person: "@Larry Hogan Thanks for lowering toll costs, will be clutch when heading to Ocean City this summer."

As part of the package of rate cuts, tolls on the Cheseapeake Bay Bridge will be reduced from $6 to $4 roundtrip. The commuter rate will drop from $2.10 to $1.40. E-ZPass Maryland discount will drop from $5.40 to $2.50 roundtrip.

WTOP Radio: Maryland cuts tolls on Bay Bridge, ICC

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced that tolls across the state will drop on July 1, after the Maryland Transportation Authority approved the decreases on Thursday morning.

The authority also eliminated the monthly maintenance fee charged to E-ZPass holders.

Hogan says he has heard repeated complaints from Marylanders about the tolls on the state's roads, tunnels and bridges. During his campaign for governor, he pledged to reduce the burden of fees and taxes on the state's businesses and residents.

"This is the first time tolls have been lowered in Maryland in 50 years. Most importantly, we are allowing Maryland families and businesses to keep more of their hard earned money, which helps our struggling economy,"  Hogan says.

The state will also eliminate the $1.50 monthly maintenance fee for drivers with a Maryland E-ZPass on July 1.

"These fees were much hated. Instituting those monthly fees was a mistake that cost tens of thousands of people to drop their E-ZPass, to switch their E-ZPass to other states, and it discouraged countless thousands of others from ever signing up for a Maryland E-ZPass. With our actions today, more than 2 million drivers will benefit from this entire plan,"  says Hogan.

The measures were not approved unanimously. The vote to drop tolls on the Bay Bridge and other bridges and tunnels across the state passed on an 8-2 vote.

Maryland Transportation Authority board members Arthur Hock and Michael Whitson voted no.

"If you look at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and the cost to maintain it and you look at the cost of transporting across it each time, then it is one of the least expensive bridges in the United States. Reducing the tolls on the Bay Bridge, to me, is a greater reduction than should have happened,"  Hock says.

Whitson was concerned how the toll reductions would impact plans to replace the Harry Nice Bridge in the coming decades. The bridge carries U.S. 301 over the Potomac River connecting Southern Maryland and Virginia.

"This jeopardizes our progress over the last 12 to 14 years. I've been close to this and I'm concerned that this measure will derail the progress on the Nice Bridge. I'm also concerned about not consulting with the lawmakers and the community at large before this vote,"  says Whitson.

[MASTERNC]

It sounds like the E-ZPass fee will still apply to out-of-state residents who have an account with Maryland?  If not, I might ditch the Hatem Bridge plan and go back to 95 (since I only use it 4-5 times a year and it will save 10 minutes each time).

[cpzilliacus]

It sounds like the E-ZPass fee will still apply to out-of-state residents who have an account with Maryland?  If not, I might ditch the Hatem Bridge plan and go back to 95 (since I only use it 4-5 times a year and it will save 10 minutes each time).

The MdTA's press release says that they will only eliminate that fee for Maryland residents (a new variant on the theme of "transponder discrimination").

• Eliminate the E-ZPass Maryland monthly $1.50 account fee for Maryland residents.

[TheOneKEA]

I'm split over this move, but not by much. I certainly welcome the decrease in tolls and E-ZPass maintenance fees, because those were quite expensive and certainly had a chilling effect on me when planning leisure trips to the Eastern Shore. However, I am concerned about the MdTA's ability to not only fund major capital projects like the new Nice Bridge, but to also service the massive debt it issued to finance the ICC and the ETLs. The maintenance of the Bay Bridge is also going to be affected by this reduction.

Time will tell if the balance between increased facility use due to lower tolls and increased wear and tear (and thus higher maintenance expenses) from said use can be navigated by the MdTA long enough to reduce the debt load and provide room for its planned projects.

[Alex]

So nothing reduced for the Susquehanna River crossing outside of Maryland-only EZ Pass? Disappointing but not surprising...

Looks like I will stick with my usual route using Conowingo Dam when going back to Delaware.

[jeffandnicole]

Other than the per-mile reduction of tolls on the ICC, it appears there are no savings for anyone outside of MD, especially those that utilize 95 which is the main route those from out-of-state drivers use.

As far as the funding reduction, it totals $54 million a year.  Not a whole helluva lot of money in the long run, although any reduction, if not met with funding from other sources, will potentially delay some projects.

[PHLBOS]

"We used this data to validate our request for a 30 to 40-percent reduction in tolls for multi-axle vehicles, and also for the toll facilities to be relocated to the Maryland/Delaware state line,"  Moore said.

Wait wait wait, what was that last part? Just sorta thrown in there?

Good question!

For many years, Cecil County politicians have been demanding that MdTA move its toll collection point on I-95 to the Delaware state line (difficult to do if cash toll collection is to continue because there is not much room between Md. 279 (Exit 109) and the border, and the Amtrak N.E. Corridor passes under I-95 on the Maryland side of the line).

Delaware politely said that their state laws do not allow them to collect tolls for an out-of-state entity on I-95 (this was suggested by those same Cecil County elected officials), and MdTA funded  a study by engineering consultants RK&K which concluded that the toll plaza should stay where it is at Perryville (unfortunately, the study is no longer online).

The demand to move the U.S. 40 toll collection point for the Hatem Bridge to near the Delaware line is one that I had not heard before, and (IMO) will not work so well, since shunpiking onto lower-class roads to the south and north of U.S. 40 will almost certainly be the result.

Won't the Feds have an issue with placing tolls at borders that weren't already grandfathered in (like I-95 in DE) nor at water crossings?

To me, this inituative (tolling at borders) would be DOA from the get-go.

[cpzilliacus]

Won't the Feds have an issue with placing tolls at borders that weren't already grandfathered in (like I-95 in DE) nor at water crossings?

To me, this inituative (tolling at borders) would be DOA from the get-go.

I do not think the feds would have any say-so in this instance.

Maryland built what is now known as the JFK Highway (formerly Northeast Expressway) between Exit 67 (Md. 43 at White Marsh) and beyond Exit 109 (Md. 279 at Elkton) to the Delaware line with no federal dollars (toll revenue bonds were used to build it, and all maintenance has been state-funded since it opened).  In other words, not one dime of federal funding, which means no federal oversight on tolls and toll policies on this part of JFK Highway.

But it's also interesting to note that the only interchange along the JFK Highway in Maryland that never had ramp tolls was the one at Md. 279 (Exit 109 now).

In theory, I think MdTA could put a toll barrier between Md. 279 and the Delaware line, though it would not be very easy in practical terms, because of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and because the freeway curves there. 

I doubt the Maryland General Assembly or the trustee for the bondholders would be enthused, since such an arrangement would encourage even more shunpiking, of the Delaware and (relocated) Maryland tolls.

[cpzilliacus]

Baltimore Sun editorial: What price for lower tolls?

Whatever one might have thought about the Maryland Transportation Authority's decision to raise tolls four years ago, no one can say the two-phase proposal wasn't scrutinized from all angles or that the public wasn't given sufficient opportunity to ask questions or make comment. The same can't be said for the agency's decision to roll them back – in some cases below what they were before the last price increase.

That secrecy and abrupt decision-making should give Marylanders pause about what's going on at the agency that owns and manages some of the state's most important – and costly – transportation infrastructure, including Baltimore's harbor crossings, the Bay Bridge, the John F. Kennedy Highway and the Intercounty Connector. No details were made available to the public on Wednesday, but lo and behold, the MdTA board delivered the elaborate toll reduction plan, sign, sealed and delivered by Thursday morning.

Four years ago, MdTA officials pleaded for the toll increases and made the case that the agency wouldn't be able to meet its bond payments without them. It was strong medicine, particularly given the subsequent decision to raise the state's gas tax. But it was seen as fiscally responsible, especially given the massive borrowing required to build the ICC, a project greenlighted years earlier by then-Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. And whatever negative effects the higher tolls might have caused, they weren't obvious – MdTA revenue turned out higher than projected.

[cpzilliacus]

Times-News.com: Governor to sign highway speed limit bill

CUMBERLAND – It took three years, but a bill which could allow drivers to cruise a bit faster on the long stretches of Interstate 68 in Western Maryland and other highways in the state has moved into the fast lane. The bill would allow an increase of the speed limit to 70 mph on state highways.

Gov. Larry Hogan plans to sign Senate Bill 44 into law Tuesday, according to information provided by his office.

"It's something the state needs to look at. ... I'm glad we got it passed and that the governor is going to sign it,"  said Sen. George Edwards. There is no required timeframe in the bill for a change in the speed limit, Edwards said, but state highways officials have taken a preliminary look at the idea and will now have the legal ability to move forward.

[storm2k]

Baltimore Sun editorial: What price for lower tolls?

Whatever one might have thought about the Maryland Transportation Authority's decision to raise tolls four years ago, no one can say the two-phase proposal wasn't scrutinized from all angles or that the public wasn't given sufficient opportunity to ask questions or make comment. The same can't be said for the agency's decision to roll them back – in some cases below what they were before the last price increase.

That secrecy and abrupt decision-making should give Marylanders pause about what's going on at the agency that owns and manages some of the state's most important – and costly – transportation infrastructure, including Baltimore's harbor crossings, the Bay Bridge, the John F. Kennedy Highway and the Intercounty Connector. No details were made available to the public on Wednesday, but lo and behold, the MdTA board delivered the elaborate toll reduction plan, sign, sealed and delivered by Thursday morning.

Four years ago, MdTA officials pleaded for the toll increases and made the case that the agency wouldn't be able to meet its bond payments without them. It was strong medicine, particularly given the subsequent decision to raise the state's gas tax. But it was seen as fiscally responsible, especially given the massive borrowing required to build the ICC, a project greenlighted years earlier by then-Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. And whatever negative effects the higher tolls might have caused, they weren't obvious – MdTA revenue turned out higher than projected.

I'm not from the area and only drive through there on occasion, but this really does smack of political pandering on the part of the new governor.

[MASTERNC]

It sounds like the E-ZPass fee will still apply to out-of-state residents who have an account with Maryland?  If not, I might ditch the Hatem Bridge plan and go back to 95 (since I only use it 4-5 times a year and it will save 10 minutes each time).

The MdTA's press release says that they will only eliminate that fee for Maryland residents (a new variant on the theme of "transponder discrimination").

• Eliminate the E-ZPass Maryland monthly $1.50 account fee for Maryland residents.

Looks like the constitutionality debate has begun

Bryan Sears of the Daily Record reports that a recently approved proposal to eliminate monthly charges for in-state commuters using E-ZPass may run afoul of the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution. Last week, state transportation officials voted to eliminate a $1.50 per month charge for  675,000 state residents with Maryland E-ZPass accounts while leaving the charge for out-of-state residents who have state accounts unless they use a Maryland toll road or bridge at least three times a month.

http://marylandreporter.com/2015/05/15/state-roundup-may-15-2015/