Maryland's ICC Will Be Among Most Expensive Toll Roads in U.S.

By Jonathan Wilson

Motorists using the Intercounty Connector roadway between Gaithersburg and Maryland will pay toll rates among the highest in the country when the roadway opens in the fall of 2010.

Thursday's vote from the Maryland Transportation Authority, or MDTA, means drivers of two-axle vehicles will pay between 25 and 35 cents a mile during morning and afternoon rush hours on the ICC.

Public comment heavily tilted against the proposed price ranges, and the authority's unanimous vote doesn't seemed to have changed things, say two motorists.

MDTA Executive Secretary says similar talk about tolls in other parts of the state have been proven wrong. The most recent example is the Fort McHenry Tunnel, which some people thought would never be used: it's at capacity during peak periods.

Freeland says the authority is still deciding on whether to offer free passage for buses using the ICC.