PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD UNDERWAY FOR I-95 ETL NORTHBOUND EXTENSION & I-695 RAMPS TOLL RATE RANGE SETTING

PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD UNDERWAY FOR

I-95 ETL NORTHBOUND EXTENSION & I-695 RAMPS

TOLL RATE RANGE SETTING

Public Hearings Scheduled in February and March;

Toll Proposal Mirrors Existing I-95 ETL Tolling Plan

BALTIMORE, MD (January 27, 2023) – At yesterday’s meeting of the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) Board, MDTA staff presented an updated proposal and public hearing dates as part of the toll rate range setting process for the new I-95 Express Toll Lanes (ETL) Northbound Extension and I-695 ramps. The toll proposal mirrors the existing ETL tolling plan. The project combines safety and environmental enhancements, congestion relief, new community noise walls, multimodal opportunities and system preservation efforts along a 11.7-mile corridor of the East Coast’s most important interstate route in Baltimore and Harford counties. The public comment period is now underway, and members of the public may comment for the official record through Thursday, April 13, 2023.

At last month’s MDTA Board meeting, staff proposed the tolling plan for the I-95 ETL Northbound Extension and new ramps connecting I-695 (Baltimore Beltway) to the existing northbound ETL. The elements of the tolling proposal for public comment are the per-mile toll rate ranges and minimum and maximum trip tolls, which match those already set for the existing successful I-95 ETL that stretches between I-895 to MD 43 (White Marsh Boulevard) in Northeast Baltimore. The toll structure for the existing I-95 ETL is not changing as part of this process and the toll proposal for the I-95 Northbound Extension and I-695 ramps is identical to the existing tolling plan.  

The MDTA Board will host two in-person public hearings and one virtual public hearing to receive public testimony about the proposed tolling plan. Each hearing will be held 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sign-in and displays will be available at 5:30 p.m. and formal testimony will begin at 6 p.m. The public may arrive any time between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Registration for public testimony will close at 7:30 p.m. 

The proposed tolling plan and public hearing materials are online at mdta.maryland.gov/I95ETLNB-Section200. Members of the public may comment for the official record through April 13, 2023.  

 Individuals who wish to participate in the hearings and who require special accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, or who require translation services (free of charge), should contact the Title VI Office at mdtaeeo@mdta.maryland.gov or 410-537-5660 (711 for Maryland Relay) no later than three (3) business days before the date of the hearing they wish to attend. 

Members of the public may submit comments for the official record on the proposed I-95 ETL Northbound Extension and I-695 ramps tolling plan through April 13, 2023. All comments received during the toll rate range setting process are given equal consideration. Comments may be submitted by: 

• visiting mdta.maryland.gov/I95ETLNB-Section200, 
• writing to MDTA I-95 ETL Northbound Extension Project Toll Comment, 2310 Broening Highway, Baltimore, MD 21224, or 
• providing testimony/completing a comment card at a public hearing. 

 The I-95 ETL Northbound Extension is expected to open to traffic by winter 2024/2025 to MD 152, with the full extension to north of MD 24 expected to open by the winter 2027/2028. The project will add nearly 12 miles of additional express toll lanes to northbound I-95 from the existing lanes at the MD 43 interchange in Baltimore County to north of MD 24 in Harford County, as well as two ramps that connect I-695 to the northbound ETL.  

The project includes construction to replace or reconstruct bridges and overpasses, provide multi-modal connections such as transit service at the new Park and Ride lots, reconfigure interchanges at MD 152 and MD 24, construct new noise walls, and various additional work. As part of the project, the new ramps connecting I-695 to the northbound ETL are expected to open by the end of 2027. The project also will address congestion on MD 24 northbound, resolving a request that’s been a key priority for Harford County for several years.  

To date, MDTA has completed 14 projects related to the I-95 ETL Northbound Extension, with four more under construction and eight more in the design phase. For more information, visit mdta.maryland.gov/I95ETLNB/home.html.