Washington airports agency confirms move to raise Dulles Toll Road tolls about 80%

Washington Metropolitan Airports Authority (WMAA) will proceed with a  phased-in option of toll increases proposed by staff. The board voted today to go with a plan that would raise tolls at the mainline plaza 25c/year over the next three years: 75c, $1.00, $1.25 and $1.50. Ramp tolls would go up 25c to 75c and remain at that level. The first toll increases are likely early 2010.

This was decided officially by the board of directors at a meeting today. Three public hearings will be held in the corridor Aug 24, Sep 3, Sep 9.

Most trips on the tollroad involve a mainline and a ramp toll so the average trip toll will go from $1.25 now to $2.25 by 2012, an 80% increase. The authority hopes that toll revenues from the DTR will support some $2.9b of debt it plans to raise on behalf of construction of likely loss-making metrorail line from the existing rail at Falls Church  to Dulles International Airport and Loudoun County.

There are no plans to make major improvements to the tollroad which is to be operated by MWAA for 50 years under a public-public partnership agreement with the state of Virginia and the US Government. The agreement provides that MWAA will raise more than half the funds needed for the $5b+ rail line from toll profit supported borrowing.

An updated traffic and revenue study from Wilbur Smith Associates was used in devising the financial plan and toll schedules, and is promised by a MWAA spokesman for release within some weeks.

http://www.dullesmetro.com/

http://www.mwaa.com/tollroad

here is the financing plan:

http://www.tollroadsnews.com/sites/default/files/$plan.pdf

previous report:

http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/4262

TOLLROADSnews 2009-07-15