I-270 Toll Lanes Won't Help Regular Lane Drivers During Evening Commute, State Study Finds

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — A study on the proposed toll lanes for I-270 shows that building the toll lanes would not ease the traffic for drivers in some regular lanes during the evening peak. The state's Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement was released Friday and was first reported by The Washington Post.

This finding contradicts what proponents of the toll lanes said, which was that tolls would help ease traffic for everyone, not just those who choose to enter toll lanes and pay the fare.

The report has a traffic study with three categories: the average speed of cars as the roads are now, the average speed for the toll lane users if the lanes were created, and the speed for drivers in the regular lanes if toll lanes were created. The speeds were studied for each section of road for the a.m. peak and the p.m. peak.

During the evening peak on the I-495 Inner Loop from George Washington Memorial Parkway to I-270 west spur, the current average speed is 7 m.p.h. and that wouldn't change for regular lane drivers even if the toll lanes were built, the study found. Toll lane users would get minor relief, with an estimated average speed of 23 m.p.h.

On the I-270 Northbound from I-495 to I-370 the speed would stay essentially the same, with a current average speed of 29 m.p.h. that would actually decrease to 28 m.p.h. for regular lane users in the study's estimate.

There were some benefits for the morning commute. Drivers in the regular lanes on the I-495 Outer Loop from I-270 west spur to George Washington Memorial Parkway would increase in average speed from 33 m.p.h. to 52 m.p.h. if the toll lanes were built, according to the study.

The toll lanes have caused division among Maryland's leaders, with Gov. Larry Hogan saying that it is a necessary step while some Montgomery County politicians have protested against it. County Executive Marc Elrich, State Senator Cheryl Kagan, and Rockville Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton are a few who have expressed concern over the impact of the project on the environment, and the inequity it could cause by helping only those who could afford to pay tolls.

The comment period for the study is now open to the public, and will run until Nov. 15.

Read the full study here.

Learn about how to comment on the study here.