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This article was written by WTOP’s news partner InsideNoVa.com and republished with permission. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.
The operators of the Dulles Greenway plan to file an application with the State Corporation Commission this spring to increase tolls on the 14-mile road that connects Leesburg with the Dulles Toll Road.
Toll Road Investors Partnership II has not filed for a rate increase since 2019, according to a company news release. It plans to file for the increase by April 28.
TRIP II delayed seeking a toll increase while pursuing a change in state law that would lead to lower tolls and distance-based tolling on the Greenway.
On Feb. 7, the Virginia House of Delegates approved legislation 79-20 to move the Greenway out from under the Virginia Highway Corporation Act and to the Public-Private Transportation Act because distanced-based tolling is not possible under the HCA, the release said.
The Virginia Senate Transportation Committee on Jan. 19 approved identical legislation 13-1.
The Northern Virginia Chamber, the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance, the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors, among others, all supported the legislation, according to the release.
“Regrettably, the Senate Finance Committee on February 16 voted to block changing how the Greenway is regulated, keeping the roadway as the only toll road in Northern Virginia that does not base its tolls on the length of the trip,” the release said.
“We appreciate the bipartisan efforts of the General Assembly, both the Youngkin and Northam administrations, and the Loudoun business community to change the regulatory structure of the Greenway, so it is like other toll roads in the region,” Renée N. Hamilton, TRIP II CEO, said in statement. “Unfortunately, there are some Loudoun County officials who continue to lobby to block lower tolls and distance-based tolling on the Greenway.
“With distance-based tolling, drivers going just one exit will pay significantly less than drivers traveling the entire length of the Greenway,” Hamilton said. “Drivers on other toll roads in the region pay based on the length of their trip. Drivers on the Greenway should be treated the same way. This bill would have allowed us the opportunity to lower tolls for everyone.”
