Motorists on the Dulles Toll Road might have to pay as much as a quarter more at each toll plaza under a proposed increase Virginia transportation leaders are considering to help pay for a planned Metrorail extension from Falls Church to Loudoun County.
The increase could kick in as early as this spring, Virginia Department of Transportation officials said yesterday. The revenue would go toward the state's share of the $4 billion Dulles rail project, due to be under construction by next year.
Westbound traffic lines up at the toll road's main plaza, where the cost would rise from 50 cents to 75 cents under the state's proposal.
(Robert A. Reeder -- The Washington Post)
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The Commonwealth Transportation Board, which must approve all state transportation projects, will consider the proposed increase at meetings in Richmond on Feb. 16 and 17. It would be the first raise in tolls since the road opened in 1984.
Driving on the toll road costs 25 to 85 cents, depending on the distance traveled. The increase would boost the minimum cost of a trip to 50 cents; the maximum would be $1.25.
The toll would increase from 50 cents to 75 cents at the main plaza, at Spring Hill Road, and from 25 cents to 50 cents at entrance and exit ramps. The fee at Sully Road booths, currently 35 cents, would also rise to 50 cents.
Transportation officials and rail boosters hailed the proposed rise in tolls yesterday as a necessary and major move toward bringing rail to the Dulles Corridor.
"The toll increase is essential to the success of the Dulles rail project," Secretary of Transportation Whittington W. Clement said in a statement. He added: "Metrorail in the Dulles corridor is a critical tool for managing congestion growth."
Clement said the rail extension would provide transportation capacity equal to four additional lanes of traffic and help business in the region.
But the idea was criticized by opponents of the Metrorail project, who complained that the state transportation board is not holding hearings in Northern Virginia on the fee increase -- which some have said would amount to drivers subsidizing rail costs.
"It's a shame that they are so dead set on putting this through and not giving people an opportunity to speak on it," said Ken Reid, who has organized detractors of the rail project.
Northern Virginians will be able to comment on the proposed toll increase to board members via video conference Feb. 16, VDOT spokeswoman Tamara Neale said. VDOT will hold the video conference at its Chantilly office on Avion Parkway at 3 p.m., she said.
"We realize that it can be an inconvenience for people to travel to Richmond," she said.
Supporters of the Dulles rail project have proposed that half of the $4 billion rail project be paid for with federal funds. An additional 25 percent would be paid for by Fairfax and Loudoun counties and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. Virginia would pitch in 25 percent of the 23.1-mile rail extension, which would include service to Dulles International Airport.
Neale said officials are not certain how much revenue the higher tolls would generate annually. A VDOT analysis indicated the increases would cover most of the state's portion of the project, she said.
