Funding idea for Metro: Toll the Woodrow Wilson and American Legion Bridges

[Anonymous]

Millions must use the WWB and the ALB everyday, soooo why not toll them? The toll money is then used to fund WMATA and fund our robust train system.

[Anonymous]

Excellent idea. I live in NYC and we pay substantial tolls on virtually every bridge and tunnel into manhattan.

[Anonymous]

1. Its currently not easy to add tolls to existing free lanes (HOV restricted ones like on I66 excepted) Not impossible, but legally difficult. And very unpopular

2. The ALB bridge almost certainly WILL get new tolled lanes as part of the Hogan plan (and VDOT encourages that approach) The revenue will however be used to pay to build the new lanes - there may be some $ left for bike/ped lanes (very cheap) and to subsidize bus service in those lanes connecting Md to Tysons. There will almost certainly NOT be $ left for WMATA

3. There is no plan to add lanes to the WW Bridge. Ergo, adding tolls would mean tolling existing lanes. The political blowback in both states would be huge.

[Anonymous]

Why not tax the air you breathe too?

[Anonymous]

We paid for those do fu ck off.

How about Maryland puts trains down the I-270 (from Frederick) to Tyson’s corridor instead?
Just a general increase in train stations and access in Maryland would improve things a lot.

We also need more bridges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Excellent idea. I live in NYC and we pay substantial tolls on virtually every bridge and tunnel into manhattan.

And the daily backups are ABSURD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why not tax the air you breathe too?

If you drive a car, I'll tax the street,
If you try to sit, I'll tax your seat.
If you get too cold I'll tax the heat,
If you take a walk, I'll tax your feet.

[Anonymous]

How about statehood for the district first?

[Anonymous]

How about metro account for and spend the billions it receives responsibly, first?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why not tax the air you breathe too?

Marylanders who drive into VA or DC burden each of those jurisdictions budgets with increased traffic, road wear, and pollution. I would look up the economic concept of externalities if you still don't understand. If MD actually had job centers that out-of-staters commuted to I suspect they'd feel the same way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We paid for those do fu ck off.

How about Maryland puts trains down the I-270 (from Frederick) to Tyson’s corridor instead?
Just a general increase in train stations and access in Maryland would improve things a lot.

We also need more bridges.

Agreed. Currently MD is blocking all bridges. They own the potomac. VA has signaled a willingness to get more bridges.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We paid for those do fu ck off.

How about Maryland puts trains down the I-270 (from Frederick) to Tyson’s corridor instead?
Just a general increase in train stations and access in Maryland would improve things a lot.

We also need more bridges.

Agreed. Currently MD is blocking all bridges. They own the potomac. VA has signaled a willingness to get more bridges.

Maryland is pursuing adding capacity to the American Legion Bridge, and even VDOT agrees that is a priority over an upstream crossing (and lots of folks in NoVa, esp in Arlington and Alexandria, would be cool to putting resources in an upstream crossing)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We paid for those do fu ck off.

How about Maryland puts trains down the I-270 (from Frederick) to Tyson’s corridor instead?
Just a general increase in train stations and access in Maryland would improve things a lot.

We also need more bridges.

There are already both MARC trains AND the Red line on that corridor. Adding yet another rail to get to Tysons would be very expensive, and almost certainly would pass no benefit cost analysis test.

In the short to medium term, transit access from Md to Tysons will take the form of express buses. If, as is very likely, there are managed lanes on 270 and on the ALB, that will allow buses to move in free flow from Frederick all the way to Tysons and beyond (VDOT is extending their HOT lanes from Tysons to the state line)

In the longer term extending the Purple line from Bethesda to Tysons seems to be a real possibility, but that will mostly help people in lower MoCo, not upper MoCo and Frederick.