FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 22, 2015
Contact: John Sales
410-537-1017
NEW TRUCK TOLL RATES FOR I-895/CHILDS STREET
AND I-695/BROENING HIGHWAY TURNAROUND JAN. 1
Supports Freight Movement, Port of Baltimore Growth;
Getting Trucks Off Local Community Streets
BALTIMORE, MD - As part of Governor Larry Hogan's Statewide Toll Rollback Plan, the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) is providing new, lower toll rates for trucks using interstate toll facilities to access the Fairfield, Masonville, Dundalk and Seagirt Marine Terminals.
"Lowering tolls for trucks is not just a win for businesses but also for the residents as well," said Maryland State Senator Johnny Ray Salling. "Over the past year, I have been working on toll relief for this area and will continue to do so over the next several years."
"The lower toll rates are an incentive to encourage drivers to save time by using interstate highways and reduce truck traffic on local community streets," said MDTA Executive Director Milt Chaffee.
Beginning Friday, Jan. 1, 2016, commercial-vehicle drivers with a valid E-ZPass Maryland account and transponder will pay $2 per axle for 3, 4, 5 and 6+ axle vehicles to use the I-895/Childs Street ramps at the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel or the I-695/Broening Highway turnaround at the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
"This is the culmination of several years' worth of collaboration between the State, the trucking industry and the surrounding communities to provide a viable, cost-effective option for trucks currently traveling through local communities to make their deliveries," said Louis Campion, President of the Maryland Motor Truck Association.
"With the Port of Baltimore poised to benefit from major changes in containerized shipping that are on the horizon, the timing of this toll reduction could not be better," said Maryland Port Administration Executive Director James J. White. "We believe this toll reduction will be a great incentive for truck drivers to use interstate roadways to get to their destinations sooner."
The Childs Street exit and entrance ramps are located on I-895 at the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel toll plaza. Currently, trucks on northbound I-895 must first go through the toll plaza and pay the toll before exiting to Childs Street (Exit 9). Trucks must also pay a toll after entering southbound I-895 from Childs Street. Trucks travel local roads through Curtis Bay to avoid the toll. The new lower toll rates will be charged via overhead gantries on the Childs Street ramps.
Currently at the Key Bridge, trucks on the Inner Loop of I-695 that need to access Broening Highway must first pay the toll and collect a toll voucher for the northbound trip. Drivers then take the service road beneath the bridge to the Outer Loop, present the voucher at the toll plaza and exit onto Broening Highway. The same scenario occurs for trucks using Broening Highway to access the Outer Loop. To avoid the toll, trucks travel local roads through Dundalk.
I-895/Childs Street I-695/Broening Highway
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
- New Toll Reductions Effective 01-01-2016 (PDF Download)
Learn more about the new, lower toll rates at mdta.maryland.gov. For real-time updates on major incidents follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/TheMDTA. Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheMDTA.
