This article was republished with permission from 草莓传媒’s news partners at .聽Sign up for today.
This content was republished with permission from 草莓传媒鈥檚 news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for today.
Bowing to opponents of the plan to widen two highways that run through Montgomery County, state transportation officials announced on Wednesday that they have scaled back their footprint for the project.
The changes are reflected in a 鈥渘ew recommended preferred alternative鈥� to the planned construction of toll lanes on the Capital Beltway (I-495) and Interstate 270.
Under the revision, Maryland and its team of private-sector investors would continue to move forward with the reconstruction of the American Legion Bridge and the widening of the western-most section of I-495 and the southern section of I-270.
But the new plan eliminates the construction of high-occupancy toll lanes along the 30-mile stretch of the Beltway that runs between the I-270 spurs in Bethesda and MD Route 5 in Prince George鈥檚 County.
At a news conference, Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) called the bridge 鈥渢he most critical鈥� piece of his plan to ease congestion in the region.
鈥淚t鈥檚 where the biggest bottleneck is,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ur intention is moving forward.鈥�
Planners in Montgomery and Prince George鈥檚 have long complained that the scope of the federally-mandated environmental review was overly broad given the state鈥檚 2019 decision to build the project in phases 鈥� resulting in a needlessly-long set of issues to resolve.
Montgomery County Council President Tom Hucker (D) said the decision to drop most of the Beltway from the plan reflected the 鈥済rowing public awareness of how they鈥檝e fast-tracked this wildly unpopular project.鈥�
To avoid having to use public funds, Hogan decided in 2017 to have private-sector companies finance and build the new 鈥渕anaged lanes,鈥� in exchange for the right to set toll rates and keep almost all of the money.
Hucker said the state鈥檚 decision to drop a large piece of the original plan appeared to be an acknowledgement that President Biden and U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg have a vastly different philosophy than the prior administration.
The state鈥檚 approach 鈥渁bjectly fails the test for transportation projects that the federal government now has 鈥� that they move people and not vehicles, and that they pass a climate test and a racial equity test,鈥� Hucker said. 鈥淭his 1970s-style project fails those 21st century standards.鈥�
MDOT鈥檚 adoption of 鈥渘ew Recommended Preferred Alternative鈥� requires the agency to issue a 鈥渟upplemental鈥� draft environmental impact statement (DEIS).
That statement will be released in 鈥渓ate summer,鈥� and it will run parallel to the original, the agency said on Wednesday. The public will have the opportunity to comment on it after it is released.
MDOT and the Federal Highway Administration are still in the process of considering approximately 3,000 public comments that were submitted in response to the original draft impact statement.
鈥淭he agencies will respond to substantive comments received on both the DEIS and the (Supplemental) DEIS in the study鈥檚 combined Final Environmental Impact Statement/Record of Decision,鈥� the agency said.
Montgomery County Executive Marc B. Elrich (D) said the state鈥檚 decision represented 鈥渁 really, really important step鈥� toward improving project.
But Elrich, who has long urged the state to abandon its insistence on establishing four HOT lanes on I-270, thinks the plan could still be scaled back further. In his view, Maryland should create two reversible lanes 鈥� carrying traffic southbound in the morning and northbound at night.
He said there is enough pavement along the highway to add one lane in each direction by rebuilding the bridges that take county roads over I-270.
鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing in planned development in Montgomery County that requires the addition to two lanes in both directions,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he growth and the concentration [of development] is going to be around Metro stations, and a little bit along the Corridor Cities Transitway.鈥�
Hogan 鈥渉as a problem that he can solve with two reversible lanes,鈥� Elrich added. 鈥淗e can solve it tomorrow.鈥�
Rep. Anthony G. Brown (D-Md.) applauded the state for abandoning its 鈥渋ll-conceived plan鈥� to build toll lanes along the entire Maryland side of the Beltway, and he urged Hogan to ensure that transit 鈥� rail or bus-rapid transit 鈥� is incorporated in the new American Legion Bridge.
鈥淭here鈥檚 still a lot of work to be done,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he governor and his team have to be committed to working that piece as well.鈥�
Edgar Gonzalez, head of the Suburban Maryland Transportation Alliance, said in an email that MDOT鈥檚 new plan 鈥渢otally makes sense and should have been prioritized earlier, but it is great that the State and Federal agencies have agreed to separate this phase from the rest.鈥�
鈥淕reat news for commuters, businesses and transit riders who will be able to take advantage of the HOT lanes in the future,鈥� he added.
