Audit Details

The Maryland Transportation Authority failed to collect more than $818 million in unpaid tolls and penalties from out-of-state motorists, according to an audit released Tuesday by the Office of Legislative Audits. The audit, which spanned March 2020 through May 2025, found that the authority had not entered into enforcement agreements with other states, had not hired a private collection agency, and had not sought approval to refer the debt to Maryland's Central Collection Unit.

Most of the debt had lingered for years, the audit found. About 82% of the $818.1 million outstanding was more than a year old, including $386.3 million left outstanding for more than three years. WTOP reported that nearly $669 million in tolls and fees went uncollected for a year or more, with more than half that amount uncollected for more than three years.

The amount owed to the agency is nearly equal to its fiscal 2025 operating expenses, which total more than $885 million, according to the Office of Legislative Audits. The audit's findings come as the Maryland Department of Legislative Services projects a structural budget gap of about $3 billion in the coming fiscal year and the state transportation department announces delays in major projects because of rising construction and operating costs.

Agency Response

In an interview Tuesday, Bruce Gartner, executive director of the authority, said improving collection is "something we've been focused on for a while." He noted that Maryland has low tolls but high penalties, and said he does not expect toll increases until fiscal 2029. Gartner said the agency was focused on implementing a new system during the pandemic and then dealing with the collapse of the Key Bridge.

In Maryland, video tolling makes up about 11% of tolls collected, Gartner said. "Every agency, I'll just say, is kind of in a similar situation with the video tolls," he said. "I've been working with the team on this basically since day one because I knew it was a challenge, and it's even frustrated me that it's taken this long, but it's something we have to do."

The audit showed that a little more than a quarter of the lost total was in tolls, but the bulk of the money owed was in uncollected penalties. Maryland moved to a cashless toll system during the COVID-19 pandemic, and failure to pay the toll on time results in a $25 penalty. Failure to pay can result in a suspension of the vehicle registration, which is flagged for nonrenewal once the vehicle accumulates $1,000 or more in unpaid tolls and penalties. In-state accounts are also sent to the state's Central Collections Unit, which adds a 17% administrative fee.

Context and Reactions

The amount noted in the audit represents an increase from earlier this year when the Department of Legislative Services reported the agency had more than $730 million in uncollected tolls and penalties assessed on out-of-state drivers. The legislative analysis also included more than $907 million in unpaid tolls and fees on vehicles registered in Maryland. The total amount of uncollected tolls and penalties from Maryland and out-of-state motorists is equal to about one-third of the publicly reported cost of replacing the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

Senate Minority Leader Stephen S. Hershey Jr. said, "This is another astonishing failure of basic government responsibility."