Beginning May 1, 2009, the State Highway Administration (SHA) will administer a $25 permit fee on behalf of the Maryland Transportation Authority for the use of Authority maintained roadways. The $25 fee will cover all Authority roadways that may be used on the vehicle's identified permit route. The fee is applicable to the permit only and does not apply to any tolls incurred. SHA will also be administering the engineering fee for superload moves on Authority roadways to further enhance the permit process. When applicable, the Authority engineering fee will be assessed by SHA and appear on the permit as part of the total cost. These fees will be in addition to any fees already imposed by SHA for the use of state highways it maintains and will be assessed on any permits for travel scheduled May 1 or later.

In addition, the current Class 7 toll will be eliminated effective May 1, 2009. Drivers who previously were charged a Class 7 toll will be charged a lower toll based on the number of vehicle axles. This allows for a single point of contact for permit requests and affords these drivers the convenience of E-ZPass for toll payment. These changes are part of the Authority's cost-recovery initiative that was approved Jan. 29, 2009, and will allow for a more effective hauling-permit system to process oversize and/or overweight vehicles traveling on State maintained and Authority owned roadways. The new fee structure will help ensure the Authority continues to maintain safe and efficient facilities for its commercial-vehicle customers.