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Last week, the Maryland Transportation Authority unveiled the long-awaited Intercounty Connector, MD-200, designed to alleviate traffic in one of the country’s worst traffic corridors on I-270 and I-495. Despite the highly publicized opening, residents still face confusion about what exactly the ICC is, where it goes, and if it’s worth using. Here are a few facts to help you make up your mind.

1. Total Miles of the ICC: 18.8

   The toll road will be entirely electronic, with no toll booths. There will be seven interchanges on the route, at Shady Grove Road, Georgia Ave., Layhill Road, New Hampshire Ave., Columbia Pike, Briggs Chaney Road and I-95.

2. Miles of the toll road currently open: 7

   Only one portion of the toll road is open, from I-370 at Shady Grove Road to MD-97 (Georgia Ave.). The remaining portions of the toll (from Georgia Ave. to I-95 at Laurel) will open later in 2011, or possibly early in 2012.

3. Amount of money expended in the ICC budget: $1.7 billion

   As of December 2010, $1.7 billion of the project’s budget has been used, or 69 percent of the ICC’s total budget, since construction began in November 2007. The total cost of the project is expected to be $3 billion.

4. Number of days you have until you have to start paying a toll: 7

   Tolls go into effect officially on March 7, 2011. And much like the Metro, the ICC will charge users for peak hours, between Monday-Friday 6am to 9am, and 4pm to 7pm costing $1.45 to use the route. The overnight rate is reduced, with a ride from 11pm to 5am costing $0.60. The rate for non-peak, non-overnight hours is $1.15.

5. Amount of money saved by using an E-Z Pass: $3 per trip

   Normally, the fine for running a toll booth in Maryland is $25. But as there are no toll booths on the ICC, video tolling will be in effect. E-Z pass users will be charged tolls to their accounts. An E-Z pass is not required to use the toll road, however, as video tolling will send a service bill for the amount of the toll plus a $3 service charge the address where the vehicle is registered.

6. Amount of time saved using the ICC: more than 50 percent

   According to the MDTA website, the route from Shady Grove Road to Georgia Ave. on current local roads takes approximately 22 minutes. Using the ICC, the route will take seven minutes. When the completed route is open, travel time between Shady Grove Road in Gaithersburg and I-95 will take 36 minutes, compared to the current time of 67 minutes via local roads.

7. Money going to “green” ICC initiatives: $370 million

   After several lawsuits filed by leading environmental groups, $370 million of the ICC budget was directed to programs intended to reduce the road’s impact on the surrounding environment, including green construction to prevent erosion and control emissions.