Loudoun County’s government opposes proposed toll hikes along the Dulles Greenway. The proposal calls for a 40 percent hike in peak morning and afternoon tolls and a 22 percent increase during the off-peak hours.
Toll Road Investors Partnership II, the operators of the 14-mile long toll road between Dulles International Airport and Leesburg, filed an application with the State Corporation Commission to increase tolls, effective January 1, 2024.
The maximum peak toll for a car would be $8.10 during the morning and evening commutes and $6.40 in the off-peak hours, according to documents filed July 11 with the SCC. The current maximum during peak hours is $5.80.
As a private road, the Dulles Greenway pays for its own upkeep, taxes to the county, fees to the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority for use of an easement at the airport, and for Virginia State Police to provide patrols. The operators said they need the money to meet debt service obligations and because traffic has not returned to pre-COVID-19 levels. This is the fourth increase in tolls that’s been requested since the Greenway opened in 1995.
“While these increases allowed TRIP II’s tolls to keep up with inflation, they ultimately restricted TRIP II’s ability to compensate for the loss of revenue from traffic that was enticed onto the alternative routes that were improved substantially during that same period and also prevented TRIP II from raising tolls to meet its increasing financial obligations over time,” the operators said in the request for the rate increase.
Loudoun County said in a news release that data indicates use of the Dulles Greenway is “down because of its already high toll rate.” The county said the proposed rates “will further discourage the use of the Greenway.”
The county also opposes legislative efforts for automatic Dulles Greenway toll hikes. Previous efforts have failed in the Virginia General Assembly.
In the coming weeks, the SCC will give the public the opportunity to weigh in on the proposal before it makes a decision.
Feature image courtesy Dulles Greenway
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