Posted on 03/15/2019 10:15:39 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Washington, D.C. is the nation’s capital — and its suburbs could be moving towards becoming the nation’s capital of privately owned express toll lanes.
The Virginia side of the Potomac has placed a big bet on such roadways, with 14 miles of pay lanes in the middle of the region’s famous Beltway, reversible toll lanes along 29 miles of I-95, and construction under way on three more highway segments. Last September, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announced an even more ambitious plan for his side of the river, covering 77 miles of the Beltway and I-270.
If these plans go forward, Marylanders face a rude awakening.
New data contradicts claims that the Virginia toll lanes have been a success story. The lanes remain bathed in red ink, and their owner, the Australian firm Transurban, seems to have raised tolls to the point where drivers are simply unwilling to pay more.
One new set of data comes from Donna Chen, a civil engineering professor at the University of Virginia. She has carefully analyzed toll rates and compared them with the traffic delays on the roads’ untolled lanes.
Professor Chen found that at the peak of rush hour – 8 to 9 a.m. and 4:30 to 6 p.m. – Beltway tolls average between $1.50 and $1.80 per mile (somewhat lower on Fridays). Per-mile tolls on I-95 are usually lower, but still relatively expensive.
(Excerpt) Read more at usa.streetsblog.org ...
PING.
Highway robbery
No one is going to pay $1.50 per mile, for a daily trip situation. Just suggesting a 5-mile ‘path’ to get into DC, and this toll...would be ridiculous.
I always thought for this path up to DC, it would be smart to mount a hanging suspension rail-line along the interstate, with five or six giant parking lots along the way. Then run a high-speed railway system from forty to sixty miles out, up to DC’s Metro system. This would lessen traffic flow.
I logged 37 years of Beltway and I-95 commutes. Here in AZ, people ask me why I prefer long hikes in the desert alone.
“I always thought for this path up to DC, it would be smart to mount a hanging suspension rail-line along the interstate, with five or six giant parking lots along the way. Then run a high-speed railway system from forty to sixty miles out, up to DC’s Metro system. This would lessen traffic flow.”
Already exists, on the Maryland side: https://s3.amazonaws.com/mta-website-staging/mta-website-staging/files/System%20Maps/MARC_System_Map_02_2019.pdf
Virginia also has its own system: https://www.vre.org/service/map/
There’s a reason why almost all of these public-private toll road ventures end up being done with foreign companies. American companies are smart enough to recognize a bad deal when they see one.
They probably look at the bridge tolls into Manhattan and figure they can get away with the equivalent.
I do not use them. I simply have shifted my travel times to avoid the rush. One would think many would also shift their travel times and some have, but certainly not enough.
JoMa
Ha! How was the move to AZ? An easy transition?
I spent 45+ years commuting in the Pittsburgh with a several year hiatus living in Manhattan {in a company paid for suite}. In order to avoid the most serious traffic conditions {which were nothing compared to NY, LA, DC, etal} I was on the road by or before 5:30 AM, or if I worked from home, never left until 10:00 AM.
Being in sales, I've driven {mostly rental cars} in almost every major city in the US and Canada, and Pittsburgh is relatively easy by comparison.
Like you, I spend many quiet hours, walking the woods, mostly alone {not counting my dog}.
The DC area that you drove in, while not the worst, is misery, and I feel for you, have a nice walk this weekend.
That toll system is a joke too. It's too expensive to use for average people which is why a 30 mile commute is close to 90 minutes. and they keep building out west and south of the city.
Yes, lobbyists, govt contractors that can pass along the costs, govt agency workers who are able to deem the trip time essential for business, etc will pay. We the taxpayers get shafted by those costs today and we will be shafted picking up the cost of the loans in the future. Meanwhile Washington swamp laughs at us.
The problems with Metro owe a lot to the fact the system was started in the early 70’s and much of it was designed with a 50 year service life. That the prior administrator of the system tried to make the books look better by deferring maintenance, along with too much of that maintenance being done wrong only makes an expensive situation worse.
Literally.
Zil lanes for the party elites.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZiL_lane
The freeways around Chicago have been paid for long ago.
Toll roads surround the city.
Its a tax
Once our house sold, it was a dream. Lots of nice, friendly people here and a million things to do. Move near a gym because everyone out here is in scary good shape and you’ll be spending lots of time outdoors in shorts and t-shirts.
Ha—that sort of thing is contagious.
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