maryland transportation authority

There's a new old chief of tolls in Maryland. Harold M Bartlett is returning as chief executive of the Maryland Transportation Authority (MdTA), the state's operator of eight toll facilities that collect $325m/year in tolls.

Maryland (Toll) Transportation Authority (MdTA) has no plans as of Thursday lunchtime to close any of their eight Chesapeake Bay toll crossings with Hurricane Irene coming north up the coast. But conditions will be monitored and if they become unsafe the following restrictions are planned for the six bridges based on sustained wind speeds:

MdTA Maryland's state toll authority is moving to replace the 3,500ft, 1.1km long Canton Viaduct, a mid-1950s elevated roadway that carries 2x2 lanes of MD/I-895 over port facilities. It hoists traffic over 19 port railroad lines, truck parking areas, several local streets, and a couple of ramps of MD/I-95.

Chairman of the Maryland Transportation Authority (MdTA) and state secretary of transportation Beverley Swaim-Staley says that the state toll authority needs to increase its revenues on its present $305m/year by $80m to $90m a year next year and by a total of at least $200m to $500m/yr in 2013. The Baltimore Sun carried a report yesterday of the proposed toll increases which are the largest in years, but come after a long period of frozen toll rates.

Ron Freeland executive secretary of the Maryland (Toll) Transportation Authority (MdTA) for nearly the past four years is joining the engineering firm TY Lin  as mid-Atlantic director. Freeland, a quietly spoken man seems to have a talent for defusing conflict and remaining amazingly uncontroversial (and a bore for reporters) during controversies.

At the same time some interesting projects have moved forward in Freeland's period in charge - major ones being the Inter County Connector tollroad in Montgomery County north of DC, and toll lanes on I-95 north of Baltimore.

Maryland officials say recovery in traffic at the state's existing toll facilities will be very slow and longer-term growth prospects must be revised downwards too. They say increasing costs dominated by debt service expense will likely call for major hikes in tolls - from about $2.60 now to $3.60 in 2012 and to $4.50 in 2014 (average statewide toll on existing facilities).

Maryland's proposed high toll rates for the new Inter County Connector are in line with those suggested by Wilbur Smith Associates to maximize revenues. Yesterday Maryland Transportation (Toll) Authority (MdTA) announced high toll rates in the range 25 to 35c/mile in the peak hours and 20c to 30c/mile offpeak for cars with a minimum 3-mile toll, and a $3/toll video surcharge.