Dulles Greenway owners seek toll hike of up to $1.45 for peak hours

LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. - It might soon cost more to ride on the Dulles Greenway, as the owners of the 14-mile roadway are proposing a toll hike.

Loudoun County officials are holding a public hearing on Monday to see what the community thinks.

What we know:

The Dulles Greenway is a 14-mile toll between Dulles Airport and Leesburg. The road is privately owned, but governed by the state. Toll Road Investors Partnership II is asking the State Corporation Commission to raise tolls on the road.

The proposal includes three potential rate hikes, according to the SCC:

1. Increase peak hour tolls by 95 cents, to $6.75 and off-peak tolls by 35 cents, to $5.60.
2. Increase peak hour tolls by 70 cents, to $6.50, and off-peak tolls by 40 cents, to $5.65.
3. Increase peak hour tolls by $1.45, to $7.25, and off-peak tolls by 85 cents, to $6.10.

SCC officials tell FOX 5 that TRIP II is asking for the hike "in order to meet its financial obligations, pay debt service, and fund its operations and capital investments to maintain the Greenway as a safe, reliable and efficient route for its millions of users."

What they're saying:

Loudoun County Supervisor Matt Letourneau says the group requested another rate hike two years ago.

"Ultimately, the State Corporation Commission found that it was not justified," Letourneau said. "The law says that the toll rate cannot materially discourage use of the road. It's very clear that the high rates already are discouraging use of the road, and that increasing this further is going to have the same effect."

The Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce is also asking the SCC to deny the proposal, saying that not only would the rate hike dissuade drivers from using the roadway, but that it would "divert more drivers onto crowded local and state-maintained roads, undermining Greenway’s role as a congestion relief facility," the group said in a press release.

Several drivers FOX 5 spoke with Monday are also opposed to the increase.

"We're already being squeezed left and right," one driver said. "[To] raise the toll right now, it's not a good idea at all."

Another driver criticized the flat toll rate on the road, saying, "It's kind of ridiculous. It should scale based off the distance you're going."

What's next:

Loudoun County officials are holding a public hearing on Monday at Rock Ridge High School in Ashburn, and another virtual hearing Wednesday morning, at 10 a.m.