Rep. Harris To Testify In Opposition Of Massive Job-Destroying Toll Hikes In Perryville

Washington, D.C. – Today, Rep. Andy Harris will testify in opposition to the massive job-destroying toll hikes proposed by the O’Malley Administration at the MdTA public hearing in Perryville. The Hatem Bridge and the Interstate 95 toll will be raised from $5 to an outrageous $8 – a 60% hike. The popular and convenient decal system on the Hatem Bridge will be eliminated and users will be forced to purchase EZ Passes at a cost of $90 per year.

            “I oppose these massive, job-destroying toll hikes proposed by the O’Malley Administration, as they will disproportionately hurt rural and suburban Maryland families,” said Rep. Andy Harris. “We simply cannot afford another job-destroying tax hike in the midst of the worst recession since the Great Depression.”

Other toll locations will be affected as well – the Fort McHenry and Harbor Tunnels in Baltimore will double and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge will more than triple, from $2.50 to $8.  All of these facilities have already fully paid for themselves and their maintenance. As a result, these are not user fees – this is a tax hike.