For Whom the ICC Tolls, Council Considerations and Stonestreet Bridge is Coming Down

Good Monday afternoon, Rockville.

The town got a bit of a whitewash overnight with yesterday's heavy rain turning to a wintry mix for a few hours. The chilly morning—and a light coating of the white stuff on car windshields—reminded us that while springtime is on our minds, winter's not quite done with us yet.

With that out of the way, here's a midday edition of the rundown:

• The Intercounty Connector truly becomes a toll road today. A two-week "test drive" period came to end at the stroke of midnight. No word on any SUVs turning into pumpkins, but they did have to pay the toll beginning at 12:01 a.m. Get an E-ZPass or get a $3 "Notice of Toll Due" in your snail mail beginning April 6.
• The Rockville City Council meets at 7 p.m. tonight with County Councilman Phil Andrews (D-Dist. 3) of Gaithersburg paying a visit. The visit is part of an effort to begin a dialogue between the City Council and the Montgomery County Council about issues important to the city. 
• The rest of the council's agenda appears relatively light after a marathon session last week. It includes discussion of a recommendation to nominate the Rockville Park neighborhood to the State Historic Preservation Office for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.
• Another bit of the city's history will be up for discussion as the council considers whether to install photos of past mayors at City Hall. A mural of past mayors was removed during recent renovations to City Hall.
• The council also will discuss the city's Transportation Demand Management Plan, which guides programs—such as the annual "Bike to Work Day" and pedestrian safety improvements—that address traffic congestion and vehicle emissions.
• Work was to begin last night to replace the pedestrian bridge that connects Stonestreet Avenue to Veirs Mill Road over the Metro and CSX tracks near . (We're checking to see if the schedule was affected by the aforementioned weather.) The city closed the bridge on Feb. 3 after an inspection "revealed issues with its structural integrity," according to a news release from the city. The removal is scheduled to be completed on Friday, weather permitting. No road closures are expected and rail traffic should not be affected. Construction of a new bridge must be approved by the City Council this spring.
• Gov. Martin O'Malley made a quick swing through Rockville this morning with a stop at Novavax, a biotech company that recently landed a federal contract to develop an influenza vaccine. The stop was part of a tour of Montgomery County to celebrate the state's "innovation economy." Check back later for more on the visit.
• Living with a cancer is a hopeful theme in two of our latest stories. Lauren Sausser covered  by a couple in which the wife is battling melanoma. Cindy Murphy-Tofig brings us who battled breast cancer, discovered running and became a half-marathoner.
• Remember to check us out when you're checking out Charlie Sheen (you know you are) on Twitter @RockvillePatch and be our "friend" on  Facebook.