A Costlier Dulles Toll Road
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Saturday, August 15, 2009
Officials have been planning it for years, but the news that the cost of driving the Dulles Toll Road could double by 2012 has angered some motorists and caused some concern among politicians, including the two men vying to become Virginia’s governor.
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority on Friday began accepting public comments on a proposal to incrementally increase tolls to $1.50 at the main gate and 75 cents at the ramps.
The higher tolls have long been planned to help pay for the $5 billion expansion of Metrorail in Northern Virginia, a project supporters say will not only be vital to the economic health of the region but also ultimately help drivers by reducing congestion.
Both candidates have been strong supporters of the project.
When a $900 million grant from the federal government was threatened, Robert F. McDonnell (R), as attorney general, was among the state leaders who urged the U.S. Department of Transportation to come through.
State Sen. R. Creigh Deeds (D) has called building rail to Dulles a priority and pledged to “ensure it is completed.”
Still, the proposed increase was more than some officials had expected, and some GOP lawmakers have expressed concerns that commuters could bear the brunt of any cost overruns through further toll hikes.
“While it is expected that tolls will pay for over half the project, commuters should not bear the burden of an underperforming project,” McDonnell spokeswoman Crystal Cameron said in an e-mail. “Bob McDonnell will stand firmly as Governor against delays and increases in cost.”
Airport authority officials, however, say there is no reason to believe that the cost of the project will exceed expectations.
Deeds spokesman Jared Leopold said the state senator is concerned about toll increases, will monitor how high they go and “will handle the situation as it comes up but supports looking at different ways to fund it if there are additional funding needs.”
What issues matter to you? E-mail ginsbergs@washpost.com with your suggestions for the weeks to come.
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What concerns me more is the $4.50 gouging we receive for ONE WAY on the Greenway. And the fact that it, too, is going to rise.
Posted by glastonbury27 (anonymous) on August 15, 2009 at 10:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The Greenway raising prices so that it is almost $10 a day to drive less than 30 miles in absolutely ridiculous. Let's try to attract business, then tax those who would need to commute to these potential jobs. More politics as usual.
Posted by coolnyva (anonymous) on August 16, 2009 at 10:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)
IMMINENT DOMAIN THE TOLL ROAD.
Richmond hitting the snooze on NoVA traffic once again. BS.
Posted by tallertapas311 (anonymous) on August 16, 2009 at 1:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
So why is it that these tolls, which are supposedly only charged and raised for the purpose of paying for construction, never go back down or disappear after the cost of the construction is paid off?
Posted by ric.james (anonymous) on August 16, 2009 at 1:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)
"Eminent" domain is the term you're looking for.
Posted by ric.james (anonymous) on August 16, 2009 at 1:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
tallertapas311 … from whom by whom? I believe the Dulles Toll Road was built by the Virginia Department of Transportation and is currently operated by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. Do you mean the Greenway, which is privately owned? And how would that help? One is private one is public, but both are raising rates.
Posted by baraol (anonymous) on August 17, 2009 at 6:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
ric.james-
Look at the NY State Thruway. Once initial investment paid off by tolls, tolls were to be eliminated, even though anyone with a brain knew that maintenance had to be paid somehow. So the collection of tolls remains, but continues to increase at alarming rates.
Posted by Ryan.Cool (anonymous) on August 17, 2009 at 7:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
So the plan to help "pay for" an expansion of Metro out to Dulles is to encourage people to drive more? Sounds like the same Democrat thinking that wants to "pay for" health care by hiking cigarette taxes.
Posted by dingus5 (anonymous) on August 17, 2009 at 7:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Tolls to pay for transit construction have been a mainstay for Republicans for years. How is this suddenly a Democratic idea? The whole transportation plan from the Virginia House has been to set up public / private partnerships (like the Greenway) to eliminate the need for raising taxes generally.
The Greenway is now showing where this thinking is coming back to haunt us. There's no such thing as a free lunch. If private entities are going to invest in public infrastructure, they're going to want a return on their investment. In the case of the landowners around the Greenway, it meant higher density development along with a continuing source of income (a double win). By all means, let's sell off the rest of our transportation network to the highest bidder to pay for short term expenses. Then we'll really see traffic hell!
Posted by danwpnews (anonymous) on August 17, 2009 at 10:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Unfortunately it will remain cheaper and faster for most of us to take the Toll Road than the future Silver Line to get to work. I work in Pentagon City and without an express train to Rosslyn, it will take forever to travel to Rosslyn and transfer to head down the Pentagon City. These toll hikes are always a done deal, the meetings are just to meet requirements for "involving" the public. I refuse to use the Greenway at this point for anything less than an emergency. Even when I am going to the airport for work and could expense the toll, I don't feel like offering them any revenue.
Seeing as though the Silver Line is going to be built by "Big Dig" Betchel on a no-bid contract, I am sure this is only the tip of the iceberg for toll/fee/tax hikes to pay for this thing. Its almost a lock that it will be over budget. Maybe if I had any confidence in the MWAA as a steward for these funds, I would feel better about the toll hike.
Posted by BurtReynolds (anonymous) on August 17, 2009 at 10:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Goodnight Moon....Kris Coratti, the Washington Post's director of communications, says: "While the Washington Post remains dedicated to maintaining a high level of coverage of the counties surrounding Washington DC, we found that our experiment with LoudounExtra.com as a separate site was not a sustainable model. According to Coratti, LoudounExtra.com will be turned off in September, while its content will migrate over to the paper's main site at Washingtonpost.com, ending a rare endeavor by a major daily to present news online in such a local and targeted way.
Posted by truthseekerva (anonymous) on August 18, 2009 at 8:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The Toll Road, when built was a "destination road" ie: to get people from the burbs to the city for work, however as the area around became built up it has become the "backbone" for commerce in Northern Va and as such tolls should be removed. The Greenway is a substitute for providing adequate roads to support the growth in Loudoun County. Both are a direct result of the no new taxes for roads crowd in richmond
Posted by jrg2 (anonymous) on August 18, 2009 at 9:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)
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