The Maryland Department of Transportation Administration has proposed toll changes for the ICC and I-95 Express Toll Lanes and have asked for feedback from the community. The public comment period begins today, August 1 and can be submitted online at mdta.maryland.gov./TollModernization/Home

Message received today from MDTA:

The MDTA Board approved a measure to put new tolling options out for public comment and hearings this summer.  The comment period begins Aug. 1 for the new tolling options proposed.

The public comment period begins Aug. 1 for the new proposed tolling options:

  • Pay By Plate. This new payment method allows tolls to be automatically billed to credit cards at the same rate that cash customers pay today. For the all-electronic ICC and I-95 Express Toll Lanes, customers who use this method will pay 20 percent less than the Video Toll rate. Pay By Plate benefits our infrequent toll customers as well as those who do not want to maintain a prepaid E-ZPass balance. This option would be available by June 2020.
  • New vehicle classes with lower rates. Toll rates would be reduced 50 percent for motorcycles, and would be cut 25 and 17 percent, respectively, for “light” vehicles towing one- and two-axle trailers, such as those used for watercraft or landscaping equipment. These new categories would take effect by September 2020.
  • Discount for Early Payment of Video Tolls. A 15 percent discount for Video Tolling customers who pay the toll before their invoices are mailed would take effect by December 2020. Since MDTA won’t have to send out a bill, we can pass these savings on to our customers.

In addition to lower toll rates, a new discount and an entirely new way to pay, these options address a concern we’ve heard from our customers for years – being able to set rates that better reflect the size of vehicles and their wear-and-tear on our roads.  Beginning Aug. 1, customers can visit mdta.maryland.gov/TollModernization/Home to submit comments online regarding the new tolling proposals, or they can download a comment card to be mailed.

In September, a series of nine public hearings will take place in Harford, Cecil, Baltimore, Anne Arundel, Queen Anne’s, Prince George’s, Charles and Montgomery counties and in Baltimore City. Dates, times and locations will be advertised online and in local media. Your constituents can visit mdta.maryland.gov to learn more about the proposal and the public-comment process.