Maryland officials at the center of conversations about how the state will pay for its underfunded transportation needs said they will likely soon need to make politically unpopular decisions — including, potentially, higher tolls and shifting some taxing responsibilities from the state to new regional authorities. “There are a lot of political landmines for legislators,” Del. Vaughn Stewart of Montgomery County said during an event organized by the Maryland Chamber of Commerce at the University of Maryland on Wednesday. Maryland’s transportation system is increasingly starving for cash — putting at risk needed upkeep, expansion plans and long-term goals like building out Baltimore’s light rail network.
What’s to come: The Maryland Commission on Transportation Revenue and Infrastructure Needs (TRAIN), charged with looking at the problem, is scheduled to release its final recommendations to elected officials in early January. The two main suggestions from the group’s interim report last year were creating a new fee for electric and hybrid vehicles — which pay a smaller amount or nothing in gas taxes — and raising tolls to “maximize revenue.”
