The Road Less Traveled

Bethesday Magazine ^ | September 2013 | Eugene L. Meyer

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Driven on the Intercounty Connector lately? No? You’re not alone. Many haven’t.

The 18.8-mile highway—the first stretch of which opened two and a half years ago after great hype and amid great controversy—is the road less traveled. Traffic counts are well below early projections, and revenue from tolls—needed to pay off the bonds that were sold to build the road—is far less than originally anticipated.

The initial estimated cost of $1 billion has ballooned to $2.4 billion—or as much as $4 billion if you include interest payments. Consequently, all tolls on Maryland highways, bridges and tunnels have been raised in part to help pay for the ICC. Every driver who passes through the two Baltimore harbor tunnels, goes over the Francis Scott Key, Chesapeake Bay or Harry Nice bridges, or speeds along the John F. Kennedy portion of Interstate 95 north of Baltimore is helping to pay for the highway, which currently extends from the I-370 spur off I-270 to I-95. (Eventually it will continue as a four-lane road another nine-tenths of a mile east to U.S. Route 1, with the last section’s completion scheduled for July 2014.)

Meanwhile, $180 million is coming out of the state’s Transportation Trust Fund to pay bondholders—money that critics say could otherwise be spent on mass transit, such as the Purple Line or the up-county Corridor Cities Transitway, and on improvements to secondary roads and intersections. At the same time, Maryland has committed future federal funds to make payments to ICC bondholders.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Maryland “Freak State” PING!

[JimmyMc]

I’ve used the connector a couple of times. It is great. I was worried about the double occupancy; hoping it was only enforced during rush hours. No problem so far. The $2.00 toll is cheap compared to having to deal with the Wash DC beltway.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

The ICC does not have an HOV requirement.

[ConorMacNessa]

I've been using the ICC every morning for the last several weeks. The toll is a small price to pay for sidestepping the daily backups down I-95 from Laurel to the Beltway and on the Beltway to the west. But make no mistake - on the ICC I set my cruise at 60 mph. Of course, I couldn't do that on I-95 - it doesn't work at 10 mph.

America demands Justice for the Fallen of Benghazi!

Genuflectimus non ad principem sed ad Principem Pacis!

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)

[wrencher]

HOV lanes are failures and should become a civil disobedience target. I’ve used them for years myself, I no longer care. Most the cars in those lanes are multi-occupant on their own and car-pooling has nothing to do with their usage.

[Graybeard58]

I lived in D.C. in the mid 60s but am no longer familiar with the geography of the area but do remember traveling between D.C. and Baltimore from time to time and it was a slow moving parking lot of a highway between those two cities even back then.

I don’t remember the highway number.

[ConorMacNessa]

I believe you're referring to the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. In the 60's, that was the only limited access highway between the cities. The alternatives were U.S. 1 and a little further west, U.S. 29. I-95 between Baltimore and Washington was opened in 1971, IIRC. I once drove south on I-95 in my uncle's 1950 Chrysler Windsor at over 110 mph. Can't do that anymore.

America demands Justice for the Fallen of Benghazi!

Genuflectimus non ad principem sed ad Principem Pacis!

Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name. (Isaiah 49:1 KJV)

[cyclotic]

Nobody uses it and yet we all get to pay extra tunnel and bridge tolls to cover the cost. Someone from SHA told me that personally. Get ready, cause the I-95 toll lanes open next year. I predict total surprise that few people are using it.

[Albion Wilde]

Bonds aren’t a great idea in a downturn.

[Albion Wilde]

There are three main highways between DC and Baltimore: MD Route 29, Interstate I-95, or Route 1.

[Albion Wilde]

Other than the B-W Parkway — oops!