**REMINDER** PUBLIC HEARINGS BEGIN NEXT WEEK FOR I-95 EXPRESS TOLL LANES NORTHBOUND EXTENSION AND I-695 RAMPS TOLL RATE RANGE SETTING

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

**REMINDER**

PUBLIC HEARINGS BEGIN NEXT WEEK FOR

I-95 EXPRESS TOLL LANES NORTHBOUND EXTENSION

AND I-695 RAMPS TOLL RATE RANGE SETTING

Public Comment Period Continues through Thursday, April 13;

Toll Proposal Mirrors Existing I-95 Express Toll Lanes Plan

BALTIMORE, MD (February 23, 2023) – As part of the toll rate range setting process for the new I-95 Express Toll Lanes Northbound Extension and I-695 ramps, the Maryland Transportation Authority Board is hosting two in-person public hearings and one virtual public hearing to receive public testimony about the proposed tolling plan. The hearings will be held 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. February 27 and March 6 for the in-person hearings, and March 2 for the virtual hearing. Details are below. 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. 

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 business days before the date of the hearing they wish to attend. 

The proposed tolling plan and public hearing materials are online at mdta.maryland.gov/I95ETLNB-Section200. Members of the public may submit comments for the official record on the proposed I-95 Express Toll Lanes Northbound Extension and I-695 ramps tolling plan through April 13, 2023. All comments received during the process are given equal consideration. Comments may be submitted by: 

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

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 Express Toll Lanes that stretch between I-895 to MD 43 (White Marsh Boulevard) in Northeast Baltimore. The toll structure for the existing I-95 Express Toll Lanes 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 Maryland Transportation Authority Board approved the public hearing plan in December 2022, and the agency announced the public hearing dates and opened the public comment period in January 2023.

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 express toll lanes. The safety and congestion relief 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, provide environmental enhancements and system preservation, and various additional work. 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, the Maryland Transportation Authority has completed 14 projects related to the I-95 Express Toll Lanes Northbound Extension, with four more under construction, one out for bid, and seven in the design phase. The I-95 Express Toll Lanes 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 winter 2027/2028. As part of the project, the new ramps connecting I-695 to the northbound express toll lanes are expected to open by the end of 2027. For more information, visit mdta.maryland.gov/I95ETLNB/home.html.

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