Question 1: How much money did the state make from the bridge and tunnel last year?
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Bay Bridge
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Harbor Tunnel
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2024
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$56,580,340
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$107,644,342
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2023
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$55,291,145
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$ 107,258,892
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2022
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53,921,492
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91,269,348
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2021
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$49,920,745
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65,214,230
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2020
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$46,010,104
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$47,373,686
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2019
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$53,459,228
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$69,939,561
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2018
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$52,730,256
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90,120,626
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2017
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$53,343,182
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88,385,890
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2016
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$52,213,234
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$88,806,780
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2015
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$80,319,079
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$84,634,847
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We looked through the past 10 years of financial statements from the Maryland Transportation Authority. In that time, the state has collected $554 million in tolls for the Bay Bridge and $841 million for the Harbor Tunnel.
Last year was a record-breaking year for toll revenue. The Harbor Tunnel earned almost $108 million, the most ever. And the Bay Bridge earned $57 million, the most since the toll was lowered in 2015.
Question 2: How much did the bridge and the tunnel cost to build in the first place?
The Harbor Tunnel cost $150 million to build in 1968.
These tolls were originally charged to pay off the bonds that funded the construction. But those bonds have now been paid off several times over. Just in the last two years, the Harbor Tunnel has collected over $150 million in tolls and paid for itself.
Spent $30 million to repaint Bay Bridge in 2010.
Question 3: So what do the tolls fund now?
The Maryland Department of Transportation is in a six-year plan covering 2022 to 2027.
The original draft of the plan was supposed to cost
$16.4 billion, but they keep adding things to it.
$13 million to resurface the road in the tunnel that wasn’t originally in the plan.
And of course last week the state announced plans to make safety improvements on the Bay Bridge for $160 million.
Then when the six-year plan ends in
2027, the state plans on increasing tolls for both the bridge and tunnel.
(Bay Bridge peak toll is $4 for cars, $2.50 w EZpass
Harbor Tunnel $3, up to $30 for trucks)