I-95 toll lanes set to open north of Baltimore The 95 Express Toll Lanes are set to open Dec. 6 north of Baltimore, the Maryland Transportation Authority announced Monday. We don't talk much about those lanes here on the blog, because they're not within range of most D.C. area commuters. But they are an interesting addition to the system of tolled highway lanes, and they may help some long-distance travelers during the December holidays. These express lanes are not high occupancy-toll lanes. Unlike Virginia, Maryland doesn't use HOT lanes. These will be like the Intercounty Connector, in Montgomery and Prince George's counties. Tolls will be collected electronically, either via E-ZPass or the video tolling system, in which a camera records an image of your license plate and a bill, including a service charge, is mailed to the registered owner. The toll will vary depending on the time of day. But unlike the HOT lanes in Virginia, the tolls vary on a set schedule, within a range determined by the Maryland Transportation Authority. The peak period southbound is 6a.m. to 9 a.m. Monday-Friday. Northbound, it's 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays. On Saturdays, it's noon to 2 p.m. both ways. On Sundays, it's 2 to 5 p.m. ICC drivers will notice that this schedule is different from theirs, reflecting the different traffic patterns. There's an overnight rate for travel between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. everyday. A third rate, defined as "off-peak," applies at all other times. The express lanes are scheduled to open by 6 a.m. Dec. 6, a Saturday. But through midnight Dec. 12, there's a free test-drive period in which no tolls will be charged. The tolling is set to begin at 12:01 a.m. Dec. 13, also a Saturday. What you will be buying is an eight-mile trip in the middle of I-95 between Baltimore and White Marsh. In this corridor, there also are four regular lanes in each direction, but they can get very crowded. The opening of the tolled lanes gives drivers an option for a quicker trip, since most drivers still will use the regular lanes. But it also is likely to ease congestion somewhat in the regular lanes, since the express lanes will siphon off at least some of the traffic. The access points for the express toll lanes are more limited than for any of the toll lane projects in the D.C. region. Northbound drivers on I-95 and I-895 can enter the toll lanes near where those two interstates come together on the northeast side of Baltimore. They will exit back into the regular lanes at White Marsh. Southbound, drivers returning to the D.C. area would get on the new lanes at White Marsh and get off onto either I-95 or I-895 after crossing into the city. That's a lot less to learn about entrances and exits than for either the 495 Express Lanes on the Capital Beltway or the 95 Express Lanes set to open sometime in December along 29 miles of I-95/395. When the 95 Express Lanes open, there will be no free test-drive period. Drivers will need to know what they're in for on day one. On these HOT lanes, drivers who meet the HOV3 carpool requirements can ride free as long as they use an E-ZPass Flex transponder. Other drivers must pay the toll using a regular E-ZPass. The toll will change frequently to reflect the level of traffic, and there's no limit on how high the toll can go. You will lock in your rate when you enter the lanes.