MARYLAND'S VARIABLE PRICING STUDY: AN OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY, METHODOLOGY OF EVALUATIONS AND TECHNICAL CHALLENGES

What is Transportation Variable Pricing and why should it be considered on highways? These questions led the State of Maryland to apply for federal grant money in 1999 to determine if this new and innovative travel demand management measure could be feasible in Maryland. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), under the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), administers a Value Pricing Pilot Program, that enables public agencies to evaluate, implement and monitor variable pricing strategies, sometimes known as value or congestion pricing. There are six variable pricing projects currently implemented in the United States, with well over eleven feasible, or pre-implementation, studies ongoing nationally. Maryland is one of the states in the middle of a two-year feasible study.