Proposed Greenway Toll Hike Protested

Commuters See Red; Owners See Red Ink

By Sandhya Somashekhar (Contact)

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

When the Dulles Greenway opened in 1995, some people joked that the stretch of asphalt that sliced through forest and farmland was a road to nowhere.

Today, the 14-mile, privately owned roadway connecting the Dulles Toll Road and Leesburg has become a main artery through Loudoun County, one of the fastest-growing communities in the country, spawning daily jams and a fight over whether the $2.70 one-way toll should go higher.

Yesterday, a state agency ended months of written and oral testimony on whether Toll Road Investors Partnership II, the company that owns the Greenway, should be allowed to nearly double its one-way fare over the next five years. If approved, a 2012 rush-hour drive for passenger cars would cost $4.80; the same trip for six-axle trucks would total $9.45.

Although the State Corporation Commission has yet to decide on the matter, analysts for the agency have signed off on TRIP II's request, testifying that it is reasonable under the 1988 Virginia law that authorized the construction of private highways.

But opponents, including AAA Mid-Atlantic, U.S. Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.) and commuters, say the law is flawed and does not account for the company's troubled financial history.

"I think the law was written poorly, and not only that, it was poorly negotiated," Wolf said. If the toll increase passes, Wolf said, he will call for the road to be taken over by the state.

Although ridership on the Greenway has grown steadily to 22 million cars a year, TRIP II has operated at a loss since it opened, despite projections that it would be profitable by 2003. Its debt has nearly tripled, to more than $900 million.

Company officials have said that the problems stem from low ridership in the road's early years, conditions that caused the company to default on its debt payments in 1996.

In 2005, the Macquarie Infrastructure Group, an Australian firm that owns roads worldwide, bought a majority interest in the company. The purchase was widely seen as a promising sign for the road's financial health.

But some opponents say the firm is trying to unfairly raise tolls to make up for TRIP II's financial missteps and say that ought to be a factor in the commission's decision.

"The staff is saying they don't have the ability to judge the fee structure based on the financial situation, which obviously shows a flaw in the statute [authorizing the Greenway]," said John A. Andrews II, who founded a Web site opposing the increase and is running for state Senate as a Republican. "This was not the deal that was sold to Loudoun residents."

Greenway officials say they are entitled to make a profit, like any company. Moreover, they said, their road is an alternative to slower routes -- for those willing to pay.

"Let's say you have a meeting today that you're late for," said Ann Huggins-Lawler, TRIP II's spokeswoman. "Are you willing to pay to travel without hitting a stoplight or traffic, regardless of your means?"

Under state law, TRIP II must satisfy three conditions to justify a toll increase: the higher toll must be equivalent to the road's benefits; it must not "materially" discourage ridership; and it must not earn the company an inordinate profit.

State financial analysts said TRIP II met the first two conditions based on a study commissioned by the company. It showed that drivers save more than $6 in time, gas and vehicle wear-and-tear by taking the Greenway instead of Route 7, the most popular alternative. It also showed that past toll increases have discouraged drivers only temporarily.

A financial analyst for the commission testified to the final condition, saying any profit earned by the company would be well within the limits set forth by the state.

The analysis, however, does little to assuage the concerns of drivers, many of whom say the toll they pay is already a financial hardship.

Colleen Demetro said she avoids the Greenway whenever possible. Sometimes, though, when Route 7 is clogged with bumper-to-bumper traffic and it can take more than an hour to reach Tysons Corner from her Leesburg home, she takes it.

The highway is no longer a high-speed alternative to slower routes, she said.

"It might have started that way, but it's not anymore," she said. "It's not a premium service. It's for everyone."

Tagged: Dulles Greenway

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