BERLIN- State Transportation officials announced this week a public hearing to allow local residents to weigh in on a proposal to double the tolls on the William Preston Lane Memorial Bridge, or Chesapeake Bay Bridge, will be held at Stephen Decatur Middle School on July 14.
Earlier this month, the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) formally proposed a plan to increase rates at toll facilities across the state including the Bay Bridge. According to the proposal, the toll at the Bay Bridge would double from the current $2.50 for a one-way passage to $5 as soon as this fall, with another increase to $8 by 2013, effectively doubling, then tripling the rate to cross the major conduit to the Eastern Shore and the resort area. A public hearing on the proposed toll hike will be held at Stephen Decatur Middle School in Berlin at July 14 beginning at 5:30 p.m.