Anonymous wrote:I'm all for considering options for improving the horrific traffic. I just wonder whether, at the end of the day, anything other than adding another bridge (or expanding the American Legion Bridge) will really make a substantial difference.

Agreed.. this is where the big bottleneck is.

Anonymous wrote:This is crazy-- these tolls only work if traffic on the existing 270 sucks. By definition the only people who will have a better commute are the ones willing to pay $20-30-- and for that we're going to spend billions to add lanes?

Uh, traffic on 270 most assuredly does suck.

Anonymous wrote:But you're all Democrats and you love, love, love high taxes to pay for government services, so it's all good right?

I am not sure of your point. That these are taxes so Dems should support Hogan on this? I am a Dem and I DO in part support him on this (with my above reservation that transit should be looked at, and that the tolled lanes may only make sense on the beltway and not on I270) There are Dems who don't like tolls in general (also many Republicans) And there are Dems who don't like widening highways (far fewer Republicans like that I think) It just doesn't line up neatly along party lines.

Anonymous wrote:But you're all Democrats and you love, love, love high taxes to pay for government services, so it's all good right?

I’m a Dem (didn’t vote for Hogan) who thinks government services should be used to expand public transportation, and definitely not used to expand highways.

Anonymous wrote:But you're all Democrats and you love, love, love high taxes to pay for government services, so it's all good right?

You must be new around here. Hogan is a Republican governor, voted in, primarily because people were happy he didn't raise taxes, not because he was a particularly good governor.

But you're all Democrats and you love, love, love high taxes to pay for government services, so it's all good right?

I'm all for considering options for improving the horrific traffic. I just wonder whether, at the end of the day, anything other than adding another bridge (or expanding the American Legion Bridge) will really make a substantial difference.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is crazy-- these tolls only work if traffic on the existing 270 sucks. By definition the only people who will have a better commute are the ones willing to pay $20-30-- and for that we're going to spend billions to add lanes?

If those people switch from the regular lanes, that leaves more room in the regular lanes. But I agree that spending lots of state $ raises serious questions.

Except it doesn’t happen. Just look at 66 and 95 in VA for evidence

I66 has not untolled lanes, so not really comparable.

I495 lanes get pretty good use (if not quite as much as Transurban wanted). Now Tysons has been growing, so that probably offsets the shifts from the general travel lanes to the express lanes. I am less familiar with the I95 express lanes, but I think its similar.

Note, at least in Va, the tolls go down when there are few cars in them. I assume they would do something similar in Md, but I am not sure.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is crazy-- these tolls only work if traffic on the existing 270 sucks. By definition the only people who will have a better commute are the ones willing to pay $20-30-- and for that we're going to spend billions to add lanes?

If those people switch from the regular lanes, that leaves more room in the regular lanes. But I agree that spending lots of state $ raises serious questions.

Except it doesn’t happen. Just look at 66 and 95 in VA for evidence

Anonymous wrote:This is crazy-- these tolls only work if traffic on the existing 270 sucks. By definition the only people who will have a better commute are the ones willing to pay $20-30-- and for that we're going to spend billions to add lanes?

If those people switch from the regular lanes, that leaves more room in the regular lanes. But I agree that spending lots of state $ raises serious questions.

In general adding tolled lanes is a way thats affordable for states to add highway capacity, without digging in to the treasury. The private partner bears most or all of the risk of underutilization.

Its not clear to me if that will work for 270 though - IIUC the need to acquire land will drive the cost up enough that tolls alone won't pay for the expansion, and state money may be needed? Also it appears that unlike the Va express lanes, HOV and buses will not go free.

Personally I think studying these lanes is a good idea. I think they should look at transit alternatives too though. I also think they should look at alternatives that involve adding lanes on only parts of the proposed network. For example I think the case for adding such lanes across a rebuilt American Legion Bridge and the rest of I495 from the Virginia line to I270 is stronger than for the rest.

If the SALT hit was not enough another reason to leave the area.

This is crazy-- these tolls only work if traffic on the existing 270 sucks. By definition the only people who will have a better commute are the ones willing to pay $20-30-- and for that we're going to spend billions to add lanes?

Hogan with the bait and switch.

First he.lowered tolls now. He.is going to.rape the DMV with tolls.

Tolls are catching on....

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Maryland-Considers-Adding-Toll-Lanes-to-I-270-Beltway_Washington-DC-506185862.html?_osource=SocialFlowTwt_DCBrand