BALTIMORE COUNTY — Not many of us like to pay tolls, but that might happen to you in the near future if you drive on I-95 north.
Monday evening, the Maryland Transit Authority held a hearing at Perry Hall High School to help decide the rates for an extension currently under construction.
It’s the first of three hearings, a meeting meant to hear what the public thinks about the extension and on how much it will cost to take the I-95 northbound expansion of the express toll lanes and 695 ramps.
But only a handful of people showed up and they stated they were there to get more information on the project, rather than give their own input.
Members of the MDTA Board lined the front of the room at Perry Hall High School ready to hear concerns or comments from the public. But when it came time to take the mic, no one stepped up.
RELATED: MDTA to host three public hearings on toll rate, toll lane extensions
Only a few seats were filled. One of them by Vijay Maharaja who says he thinks this expansion will benefit those who take I-95 north during busy parts of the day.
"It's a great thing they're doing and I hope they extend more and more because that would be a good idea to do it for people who get stuck in the traffic. This is a good way to get paid and get it over with,” said Maharaja.
The current express lane starts at the 895 and 95 split and runs to White Marsh. This new addition will provide 12 miles to that.
It will extend from Maryland 43 to Route 24 in Harford County.
"The construction is already well under way on this program, we have 14 contracts that are completed already, five more that are in construction and the remaining segments are under design and on schedule for our openings,” said Will Pines, Maryland Transportation Authority Executive Director.
The expansion will give easier access to those looking to bypass traffic or get through the interstate faster, but for a price.
Pines says the current proposal is to set the same rate as the already existing segment of the express toll lanes, which also factors in how much one pays based on the type of vehicle and what kind of E-Z pass plan the driver has.
"The existing toll segment that's open today has peak hour periods when it's higher congestion. The tolls are set a little higher to try to manage the congestion but also off peak and weekend periods that are set at a lower rate and then overnight rates,” said Pines.
He says currently as many as 44,000 vehicles use the express lane on a busy day.
And this expansion will bring many benefits.
Pines said, "Folks can experience better travel times from the program. We're doing a lot of environmental improvements, noise wall improvements to the program. Replacing bridges that are 50-years-old and older.”
The MDTA Board will accept public comment until April 13, with the final board approval of the toll price scheduled for June.
The next hearing is on March 2 and will be virtual. The link to register can be found here. The third meeting will be held March 6 at Joppatowne High School.
