Interoperability

The ET system called Smart Tag in VA is operated by Castle Rock and no distinction is made between the Dulles Greenway and the Dulles Toll Road (VDOT) accounts. The system is interoperable statewide.

But the confederates don’t recognize tags from the union side of the Potomac River, including those in use just 80km (50mi) away at the Baltimore harbor tunnels. Equipment’s compatible from Mark IV, but the business arrangements for reciprocity haven’t been done.

And won’t be anytime soon. The two state governments are hardly on speaking terms right now. One manifestation of this is the refusal of Maryland to allow northern Virginia to move its water supply intake (an 8" 200mm pipe) into a deep part of the Potomac River where there is less silt and clearer flowing water. Maryland officials who have jurisdiction over the river from Charles I (1632) called development in NoVA “rampant” (the boo-word for more-successful-than-us). A MD govt spokesman said better water would only encourage NoVA “sprawl development.” This drew a fierce mind-ya-own-bizness response from the southern side of the river. VA is taking MD to the Supreme Court over the issue.

We enlightened smart-growthers here in MD could well be retaliating against these southern pretenders by taking the state of VA right to the Supreme Court for the use of our word ‘smart’ in their tags. We should have our MD police confiscate any toll tags found here carrying our word ‘Smart’ from other jurisdictions. Civil war over toll-tags! Remember who lost last time, guys.