Public-private partnerships for highway projects generally use some form of tolling as a source of guaranteed revenue to recoup debt. Although we could not obtain any statistical evidence that Maryland's citizens oppose tolling and despite the fact that MDTA will toll the ICC, the MDOT officials we spoke with made it very clear that tolling the Beltway is an extremely unpopular option. Additionally, an official from the Prince Georges County Department of Public Works and Transportation explicitly said that Prince Georges County is against any form of tolling on the Beltway. Concerning ETLs, the official said the County is adamantly opposed to any sort of tolling that allows the tolling entity to select who has a shorter commute based on one's ability to pay.
Despite these assertions, public sentiment may be beginning to turn in favor of toll roads. Virginia has not received much negative feedback from the public with respect to their proposal to add HOT Lanes on the Beltway and I-395. Additionally, in AAA's 2006 "Pockets of Pain" survey, 52 percent of the people surveyed were in favor of using tolls to pay for transportation projects. Only 40 percent favored increased taxes such as the motor fuel tax, vehicle title tax, or sales, property, and income taxes. If local opposition for toll collection is enough to prevent the state from tolling the Beltway, then it is highly unlikely that Maryland would choose to enter into a PPP.