Toll rates expected to rise to $4.50 next year
by Kali Schumitz, Staff Writer
When the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Board of
Directors begins its toll-setting process for 2013 later this year, the
agency will likely set rates for the next few years.
The Board’s Finance Committee discussed the policy that will govern the upcoming toll-setting process in a Wednesday meeting.
Setting
tolls a year at a time would give the board more flexibility to adjust
to funding situations that are currently unknown, said Andy Rountree,
MWAA’s chief financial officer.
The airports authority is using
toll revenues to finance a large chunk of the new rail line to
Washington Dulles International Airport. With the first phase of the new
Silver Line still under construction and the second phase still facing
some funding unknowns, “there are a lot of uncertainties as this project
moves forward,” Rountree said.
On the other hand, the investors
who will be purchasing bonds backed by the tolls might be more amenable
to a three-year tolling plan, Rountree said.
“There are a lot of positives that come from setting tolls for a period of time,” he said.
Some
board members highlighted a different positive from setting rates three
years at a time — reducing how often they have to undergo what could be
a politically charged process. . . .
Click here for the rest of this article.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Your comments are welcome and encouraged as long as they are relevant, constructive, and decent.