From the office of Del. Mary-Dulany James:
Friends,
Yesterday, the Maryland Transportation Authority board put forward a revised proposal for toll increases in Maryland that will be finalized next Thursday. This is great news for Harford and Cecil residents and our region of the State!
Delegate Dave Rudolph and I have been working throughout the summer to create a compromise that would not burden Hatem Bridge commuters with an additional $100 fee. As you will remember, the original proposal would have put out of pocket costs for Hatem commuters at about $100 per year. The revised proposal charges an additional $10 per year, with a free Hatem only EZ pass transponder, with no monthly administrative cost.
We met with Governor O’Malley last month, as well as the Secretary of Transportation, to stress the importance of a low cost solution for the Hatem bridge for businesses and residents in the northeast corner of Maryland. Additional costs to companies and workers in our region through an increased toll would be an unnecessary burden at a time when we are trying to bring more stability to the State’s economy. I am pleased that the Governor listened to our concerns and that the Transportation Authority revised their proposed toll schedule.
You can read more about the toll changes statewide in The Baltimore Sun here:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/commuting/bs-md-bridge-tolls-20110915,0,7148115.story
Or, more information on the proposed toll changes here: http://mdta.maryland.gov/
Thank you to all who attended the public hearings, wrote to the Governor and made your voices heard on behalf of our region. I look forward to continuing our work together, as we take on new challenges of economic growth, BRAC and job creation in our region.
Sincerely,
Mary-Dulany James
State Delegate,
Harford & Cecil Counties
Del. James, you have been grossly misled. The SHA put forth rediculously high toll rate increases at their initial proposal, knowing full well they would be ill-received. That allowed them to “compromise” with the people and still get a large increase. If Governor O’Malley would stop stealing from the transportation trust fund to “balance” the state’s budget, no toll increases would ever be necessary.