Politics & Government

Intercounty Connector to Open Feb. 22

Interstate 370-to-Georgia Avenue segment will be toll-free until March 6.

The first segment of the Intercounty Connector, a seven-mile stretch from Shady Grove to just northeast of Rockville, will open two weeks from today, Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) announced on Monday.

The state's first all-electronic toll road, it will be known as Maryland Route 200. Its first piece will connect Interstate 370 to Georgia Avenue.

The segment will open at 6 a.m. on Feb. 22, weather permitting, the Maryland Transportation Authority said in a news release.

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Motorists may will be able to "test drive" the ICC without paying tolls through March 6.

MDTA will use the test drive period to test its electronic toll system under actual traffic conditions as drivers get accustomed to the road's variable pricing structure, the release said.

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Once the tolls go into effect, higher tolls will be charged during peak-travel times and reduced tolls will be charged when traffic volumes are lower.

The first segment of the road is projected to cut trip times between Shady Grove and Georgia Avenue by 70 percent, the release said.

ICC Tolls

Beginning March 7, passenger vehicles and light trucks will be charged the following rates to travel the ICC’s first 5.5-mile tolled segment:

  • $1.45 during peak hours (Monday through Friday, 6 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 7 p.m.).
  • $1.15 during off-peak times (Monday through Friday, 5 to 6 a.m., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 7 to 11 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.).
  • 60 cents overnight (11 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily).

ICC tolls will be collected electronically at highway speeds using E-ZPass only. There will be no toll booths or cash toll collection.

Driving the ICC without a valid E-ZPass account will result in a Notice of Toll Due being sent to the registered owner of the vehicle for the cost of the toll, the release said. Beginning April 6, the notice will include a $3 service charge per trip.

Go to www.ezpassmd.com to sign-up for E-ZPass or to get a list of E-ZPass “On the Go” retail locations. E-ZPass Stop-in Centers can be found at local Motor Vehicle Administration offices in Gaithersburg and Beltsville and at most Maryland toll facilities.

The next segment of the ICC, between Georgia Avenue and Interstate 95 in Laurel, is scheduled to be completed in late 2011 or early 2012. 

When fully completed, the $2.6 billion, 19-mile toll road will connect Gaithersburg to U.S. Route 1 in Laurel.

ICC Timeline

  • Feb. 22, 6:00 a.m.: ICC opens to traffic, weather permitting.
  • Feb. 22 to midnight March 6: Test-drive period; no tolls or service charges collected.
  • March 7, 12:01 a.m.: Toll collection begins.
  • March 7, 12:01 a.m. to Tuesday, April 5, 12 midnight: $3 Notice of Toll Due service charge waived.
  • April 6, 12:01 a.m.: Full tolling operations begin, including collection of service charges.

For additional information go to www.mdta.maryland.gov.

Correction: An earlier version of this article referred to "electronic toll booths." The Intercounty Connector's electronic toll system does not include booths. This version corrects the fifth paragraph.


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