US-50 appears on MD price study list

The FBI won’t comment on whether it has been called in by the FHWA to investigate the suspicious addition of US-50 to Maryland’s list of Value Pricing Projects. Early lists only included the Beltway (MD portion I-495/95), MD-210, I-95 between the beltways, I-270, the two Baltimore harbor tunnels and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. The FHWA has granted preliminary approval for $500k of studies of priced lanes in Maryland. The project will investigate the potential of pricing to alleviate congestion and improve lane utilization, to determine which if any should be implemented. Covered are highways that either have HOV lanes (I-270) or are planned to be given them.

Project manager Michelle Hoffman says the schedule is to gain formal FHWA approval for the studies this fall, immediately select consultants for an interim report by end-99 and a final report Sept-00.

A MDOT map of the proposal recently appeared with US-50 added in to the project. US-50 is a 6-lane motorway linking the state capital Annapolis and western Prince George’s co suburbs to the Beltway and DC via New York Avenue.

A whole list of state agencies and ‘stakeholder’ groups including MWCOG, the Baltimore Metro Council, EDF and other groups have endorsed the studies, but apparently without US-50. Hoffman told us she wasn’t sure when US-50 got listed and seemed as mystified as us by its addition. We’ve noticed since we drew this to her attention that the MDOT map also has variable pricing spreading northeast of Baltimore right up I-95 to the very doorstep of Newark DE - making it in the eyes of some highway users an interstate crime. (Michelle Hoffman 410 545 8547)