Intercounty Connector

Here’s a clue why the ICC is a flop: It connects the wrong regions. People in PG County who work in Montgomery County live near the Beltway and the ICC is impractical, not to mention far too expensive. The number of commuters going from Montgomery County to PG is so negligible in comparison that a single-​lane road is efficient. Here’s the main reason the ICC is a joke – It doesn’t connect to Virginia. Most Maryland commuters using the Montgomery County Beltway are heading to Fairfax County. Either the state of Maryland needs to become more business friendly so that Marylanders don’t have to commute to Virginia by the hundreds of thousands each day, or accept the fact that Maryland is basically a suburb of Virginia and build another connection across the Potomac. Smart Growth is a euphemism for bad business climate, and nothing is an example of that more than the ICC.
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I love the ICC! I don’t use 200 for a daily work commute, but I drive it occasionally to get to what I refer to as «upper Montgomery County» from Prince George’s County.
First: The ICC is a breeze. There’s literally 12 cars on it whenever I drive it, and I love the feel of the open highway while I’m cruising down past Olney and other exits. It’s ideal for driving enthusiasts, pending you don’t get pulled over lol.
Second: The ease of getting from PG to far away places like Gaithersburg is amazing. 270 is such a chore and a traffic headache. I gladly purchased an ezpass simply because I love the quickness in which I can get from 450 to 270. Yes!
Third: The cost is very reasonable. I usually drive 200 during off-​peak hours, but even «on peak», the price is just right. I used to live in South Florida where there was a toll for nearly everything, (heck, they’d toll you to use the bathroom if they could) so the ICC’s low prices are totally cool with me. Folks who complain about the costs associated with a toll road THAT YOU CHOSE TO TAKE need to have several seats, stand up, and then sit back down again. If you want to escape traffic, pay the price. Otherwise, sit in traffic using 495, 270, 66 or whatever it is you used to ride on.
I will continue to use 200 whenever I’m riding to a part of MoCo past Bethesda!

You Big Dummies … Bob erlich and re-​pubis got us to believe that building this ICC would be a great accomplishment and greatly reduce the beltway congestion… Ooooh Boy that was a lie. This thing stretches across the county threw backyards, sat empty for a for awhile. Once completed, Oh yea forgot to mention motorists will need pay to use. Do you know how much in taxes we pay.. Useless
A True road to nowhere

Pro:
I can see if you are going from Gaithersburg to 29 or 95 only — it is smooth sailing.
Cons:
–It is so expensive for someone to use it daily for WORK. almost 7.90 per day? give me a break!
–They dont work with you if you forget your EZPass and charge an «administrative fee» for snapping your license picture.
–Traveling from 95 to Rockville the time you save is negated by any snarled traffic on 270.
I will never use the ICC again. Leave earlier, avoid the traffic all together. Lets face it. This whole area was never meant to grow this big. Piss poor planning all around.
ICC = Epic failure for commuters costing nearly 2K per year in tolls! Get outta here!

Oh sure, the ICC can get you from suburbia MoCo to suburbia PG in one straight line… but:
1) You need to have an EZ Pass in your car. If you don’t (or you totally forgot that you left the EZ pass at home or in the other car), you’re going to get the most obnoxious bill in the mail for $ 3. Just give me the toll booth so I don’t have to write a check for three dollars, K?
2) You can’t go above 60mph without one of the speed cops catching you. Always. EVERY TIME. And before you say «go slower then»…you have to realize that the ICC is ALWAYS EMPTY and it’s practically perfectly straight. You can hit 75 without even noticing.
3) The super distracting «tree» that is a disguised cell tower. You can see it on your left if you’re heading to PG, and on your right if you’re heading to Gaithersburg. I think it’s between the Fairland and Colesville exits (I think, they all confuse me). It’s big and fake and just SO DISTRACTING. Why does this bother me? Because even when I’m trying to pay attention to the speed limit, that stupid «tree» always makes me look at it, and before I know it, I’ve crept back up to 85mph and there’s a cop car right behind me. EVERY TIME.
4) Since the ICC has been built, my dad (who lives about 5 miles from the Shady Grove ICC exit) is convinced that his property values are going to «sky rocket» any minute now. Why is this annoying? Because everytime I see him, he makes me check Zillow for his property value. I have to constantly lie to him «yes daddy, your house is now worth 10 million dollars because of the ICC. No wait, it’s now at 12 million!» or I’ll get the whole speech about «location location location».

I’ve managed to curb my speeding so now I love the ICC. I think of it fondly whenever I’m stuck in Virginia on the 495. :)

probably the quickest way to get from gaithersburg to laurel since it just cuts across all of the local roads in montgomery county. there is generally no traffic along the ICC, even during prime rush hour. however, to get there fast, you have to pay a price, and tolls are determined by how far you go (i.e. the longer you stay on the ICC the more you have to pay). definitely a great new addition to maryland, but i’m not a fan of having to pay to use this new highway.

I live in Silver Spring, granddaughter (and her parents) live in Montgomery Village. I take the ICC so often that EZ Pass doubled my account’s auto-​deposit amount! Not having to take the Beltway to 270 makes it worth every penny the ICC charges. Plus what I save on time and gas make it a super-​bargain. And I don’t just use it to see my granddaughter – it empties right into Rio, is one exit from Sam’s Club, Dogfish Head, Il Porto, etc.

The ICC is like a magic wormhole. Enter in Gaithersburg and it spits you out in Laurel 15 minutes later!

Being able to get from I-​95 to 270 without driving on 495 is a huge victory. The fact that is costs around $ 4? Well, that makes it slightly less of a victory. If it were during rush hour, it would be well worth it.
The speed limit should be 65, though, there didn’t appear to be a single cop in sight… so take that for what it’s worth.

When in the ICC, I’m kinda taken back to the times I drove on the A3 from Frankfurt. It’s new, fresh looking, and has those overhead Big Brother cameras fixed on each lane. Unfortunately, that’s where the comparison stops, because the speed limit is still 55. W.T.F. Not only do I have to drive slower than on 95, but then I get jacked for $ 4 for the pleasure. Really unbelievable.