ASHBURN, Va. — Several more residents in Loudoun County spoke out against a proposal to increase the Dulles Greenway tolls.
The 14-mile highway from Dulles International Airport to Leesburg is privately owned by Toll Road Investors Partnership II. Under the proposal, drivers would have to pay $6.40 instead of the current rate of $5.25 during regular hours. The price would spike from $5.80 to $8.10 one way during rush hour traffic.
Although Dulles Greenway is privately owned, the Virginia State Corporation Commission still regulates it and must approve any toll increase.
On Tuesday, the SCC held a public hearing.
“I'm opposed to a proposed toll road increase because they will drastically reduce access to a vital transportation artery for a majority of Loudoun County residents,” John Gallagher of Ashburn told the commission. “As it stands today, it already discourages use because it's expensive for most of the drivers.”
The SCC has received numerous inquiries from residents, lawmakers and other state officials including Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares on their concerns about the impact on quality of life.
“Traffic in Northern Virginia is a daily challenge, and rising inflation only adds to the costs of commuting to work,” Miyares said in a previous statement. “My office stands alongside Virginia commuters who feel this struggle daily, advocating for fairness and resisting toll increases. Virginians deserve every hard-earned penny, and we’re here to protect Virginians from unreasonable financial burdens.”
WUSA9 reached out to the company for comment but haven’t heard back.
In its application, the company says there’s been a drastic drop in drivers because of the pandemic and that higher toll rates can help it meet financial needs.
Loudoun County Supervisor Matt Letourneau said that means paying off debt.
“It's various financial decisions that the company has made over the years,” he said. “That should not be on the backs of the drivers of Loudoun County using the Greenway, that's the company's problem.”
Business owners such as Estefania Arregui said it poses a new challenge.
“The people that are going to be suffering are not large but small business owners that need to attract a skilled workforce, and that's already difficult to come by,” Arregui told WUSA9.
The next step is to have an evidentiary hearing on Feb. 28 where the SCC will receive testimony from witnesses from the Greenway owner and Loudoun County officials.
Following the evidentiary hearing, the SCC Hearing Examiner presiding in the case will prepare a written report summarizing the case record and presenting recommendations for Commission action. The SCC Commissioners will then review the complete case record and the Hearing Examiner’s report. After their deliberations, the Commissioners will enter a final order in the case.