OLDTOWN — Tolls on the Oldtown Bridge could increase significantly, largely to pay for long overdue repairs and provide more reasonable compensation for staff. Without the repairs, the bridge’s future could be in doubt, the owner said.
The company that owns the bridge, Historic Oldtown Bridge Preservation LLC, has filed for a rate increase with the Maryland Public Service Commission.
PSC staff agreed with the need for rate increases, but recommended smaller increases than those requested by the bridge’s owners.
The current rates are 50 cents for cars and pickup trucks, 25 cents for motorcycles and $2 for tractor-trailers and buses.
Lori Roberts, the CEO of the company that owns the bridge, asked for $2 for cars and pickups, $1 for motorcycles and $8 for buses and tractor-trailers.
PSC staff have recommended rates of $1.50 for automobiles and trucks, 50 cents for motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles and $2.50 for buses and tractor-trailers.
Among the more significant changes if the request is granted would be the elimination of a monthly pass, currently $14.
Roberts said the company is operating in “crisis mode” and cannot afford the discounted monthly rate. The PSC staff agreed with the elimination of the monthly pass. An administrative law judge will make the final decision, though.
The bridge is the only privately owned and operated toll bridge in Maryland and crosses the Potomac River between Oldtown and Green Spring, W.Va. Concrete pedestals support the wooden bridge, according to the bridge’s website. About 200,000 vehicles cross the bridge in a year, according to tollroadnews.com.
The bridge is important because it is the only river crossing for “approximately 15 miles in either direction, and closure of the bridge results in long detours for residents on both sides of the river,” said Jennifer Brekke-Miles of the PSC.
The bridge is in poor condition and money is not available for needed repairs, said Roberts. She added that the substructure of the bridge is in bad shape as well.
The substructure “consists of timber beam seats, abutments and wing walls, and piers,” Roberts said in her PSC testimony supporting the rate increase. “Five abutments, all the timber beam seats and the entire decking needs to be replaced.”
A hearing is scheduled Nov. 5 at Oldtown Old School, 19210 Opessa Street in Oldtown. An evidentiary hearing will take place at 2 p.m. and a hearing for public comment will begin at 7 p.m. The evidentiary hearing is not designed for public comment, but is also open to the public.
Roberts bought the bridge in August 2010.
Roberts said she wants to avoid closing the bridge, but that without repairs “future inspection reports will suggest closing the bridge.”
Documents filed in the case may be viewed on the PSC Website by searching for case number 9296.
Contact Matthew Bieniek at mbieniek@times-news.com.
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A car stops to pay a toll at the Oldtown Bridge in Oldtown on Monday. Steve Bittner/Times-News
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