The loss of toll operator Transurban could be a death knell for the controversial I-495/I-270 Managed Lanes Project in Maryland.
A plan to add toll lanes to Interstate 270 and the Capital Beltway, a key component of the legacy of former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, is facing yet another setback that threatens to prevent the project.
The I-495/I-270 Managed Lanes Project has been in the works since 2017, finally gaining federal approval in August 2022 after moving forward in fits and starts over the years and facing local opposition and legal peril.
Now, Erin Cox and Luz Lazo report that Australian toll company Transurban has dropped out of the project “amid uncertainty that Maryland’s new Gov. Wes Moore (D) supported the proposal and the unresolved — potentially costly — lawsuits over the project’s environmental implications.”
“The decision suspends progress on replacing the American Legion Bridge and relieving the congested Capital Beltway and Interstate 270 with high-occupancy toll lanes,” according to the article. “It’s a potentially insurmountable setback to a $6 billion plan first announced in 2017 by Maryland’s previous governor, Republican Larry Hogan.”
“The timeline for next steps is not immediately clear,” adds the article.
FULL STORY: Toll road operator withdraws from plan to develop Beltway, I-270 toll lanes
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