Maryland tolls: An unheeded lesson in transportation economics

For 81 years, the Harry W. Nice Memorial/Senator Thomas “Mac” Middleton Bridge has provided a crucial highway link between Southern Maryland and Virginia. But the two-lane Potomac River crossing on U.S. 301 has in recent years been regarded as wholly inadequate with increasing traffic congestion and delays. Plans for a replacement showed up on the Maryland Transportation Authority’s drawing boards about a decade ago with construction finally launched last summer.