Maryland gets a very expensive toll road

The Intercounty Connector, approved by the state of Maryland during Republican Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s one term as governor and supported by his Democratic successor, Martin O'Malley, opened Nov. 22. The 18-mile road, which has six wide lanes and room to add more, saves motorists 15 to 20 minutes when travel is light.

But the highway. which is tolled for most of its length, "might end up causing more problems that it solves," Osman Dadi asserts in a commentary posted on the website of the New York-based Regional Plan Association (RPA). "Its planning and construction highlight the risks of concentrating limited infrastructure funds on one form of transportation."

Governor Parris Glendening, during his years at the state's helm, decided the Connector was contrary to smart growth principles, and he declared the project "dead" before he left office in January 2003, Wikipedia says in an extensive report on the highway. But the freeway idea had been talked about since the 1960s, and was revived by Ehrlich and allowed a fast-track review process by Norman Mineta, Secretary of Transportation in the George W. Bush Administration.

The road, which links Interstate 270 to Interstate 95 and runs parallel to Interstate 495, is expected to carry 30,000 commuters a day by June 2012, says Dada, a research associate at RPA. For that privilege, drivers pay up to $4 a trip, depending on time of day.

The time savings are likely to diminish, Dadi says. All major studies conducted prior to its construction have, according to Dadi, reached these conclusions: "The new road won't relieve congestion on I-495 as intended, and following the concept of induced demand, the ICC will actually increase traffic at several key points in the state highway network as it generates new automobile trips and, over time, sprawl."

He points out that the tolls fall far short of covering the highway's $2.56 billion cost, so "the state has doubled tolls and lowered maintenance on all other statewide facilities, including toll bridges more than 100 miles away."

With the sums allocated to the Connector, Dadi argues, the state could have carried out other projects capable of producing bigger benefits, including mass transit.