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One day after a regional transportation panel dealt a major blow to the planned widening of two interstate highways that run through Montgomery County, project backers scrambled to salvage the beleaguered plan.
鈥淭here鈥檚 major panic in the transportation industry over what happened [on Wednesday],鈥� said Senate Majority Leader Nancy J. King (D-Montgomery), a project proponent who with speaks regularly with construction executives.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e all in shock over it.鈥�
Like many close observers of Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr.鈥檚 plan to add four lanes to portions of the Capital Beltway and Interstate 270, King was caught off-guard by the聽聽from a required environmental analysis.
鈥淭o be able to have a vote like that happen so quickly, with all the work that鈥檚 been done on this, I think it鈥檚 devastating to our region,鈥� King said.
The TPB operates under the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. The panel鈥檚 sign-off is necessary for projects that require federal approval.
D.C. Council Member Charles Allen (D), the TPB鈥檚 chairman, called the vote 鈥渁 significant setback for that project. 鈥� This project is done for now.鈥�
Hogan (R), a potential presidential candidate in 2024, has touted the privately financed Beltway/I-270 project as an example of how to foster infrastructure improvements without raising taxes.
A source familiar with the matter said on Thursday that a revised version of the project could come back for a re-vote in the next month or two.
King, whose upper Montgomery constituents battle tough traffic on I-270 seven days a week, concurred.
鈥淭here may have to be another vote,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e just got to move forward.鈥�
The motion to drop the I-495/I-270 project from the region鈥檚 Air Quality Conformity Analysis was offered by a representative of Montgomery County Executive Marc B. Elrich (D).
The proposal was supported by almost all of the county and municipal leaders from Maryland who sit on the Council of Governments鈥� transportation panel. Officials from the District of Columbia, Arlington and Alexandria backed it as well.
The Maryland and Virginia departments of transportation opposed it, as did many county leaders from Northern Virginia.
In an interview on Thursday, Elrich 鈥� a former county council member 鈥� said Montgomery鈥檚 continued opposition to the state鈥檚 plan centers largely around the insistence that four lanes be added to I-270. The county鈥檚 official preference for 鈥渙ver a decade鈥� has been to add two reversible lanes instead.
If the state agreed to shift its approach, 鈥渢hen we鈥檙e into a ballpark where this is going to probably become doable,鈥� Elrich said.
Hogan鈥檚 communications director suggested on Thursday that the county executive is not negotiating in good faith.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 just moving the goal posts. I think it鈥檚 moving the stadium at this point,鈥� spokesman Michael Ricci said. 鈥淚 believe we鈥檙e approaching the point where he鈥檚 dealing in bad faith.鈥�
Elrich rejected that characterization. He said county leaders have opposed the addition of four lanes to I-270 since Martin O鈥橫alley (D) was governor.
鈥淚 have an obligation to carry out and support the county鈥檚 position,鈥� Elrich said. 鈥淓very time we鈥檝e talked to them, we have said we want reversibles. 鈥� I continue to believe it actually solves the g鈥斺�� problem.鈥�
Elrich said Hogan appears determined to build 鈥渢he most expensive project possible鈥� to attract 鈥渟omebody like Transurban.鈥� Transurban is an Australian firm that built and financed Northern Virginia鈥檚 express toll lanes and is in line for a $54 million 鈥減redevelopment鈥� contract on the Maryland project.
The executive has pushed Hogan and Transportation Secretary Greg Slater to seek federal funding for the new bridge, rather than do a P3. 鈥淚f he鈥檚 worried about goal posts, if he would agree to that, I鈥檒l hold the ball while he kicks it,鈥� Elrich said.
Hogan has modified his plan to bring congestion relief to Montgomery County multiple times in the four years since he unveiled it. He has removed controversial elements, such as the widening of I-495 between the I-270 spurs and the Prince George鈥檚 border.
And he has reoriented the project so that it begins at the American Legion Bridge, a notorious chokepoint and something for which Elrich has advocated.
But the moves have failed to sway the municipal leaders, county officials and state legislators whose votes sank the project on Wednesday.
Montgomery County Planning Board Chairman Casey Anderson called the vote 鈥渢he clearest indication that elected officials throughout the region have concluded that it鈥檚 politically smart 鈥� or at least not politically dangerous 鈥� to oppose this project outright.鈥�
Many officials are hostile to the governor鈥檚 proposed 鈥減ublic-private partnership,鈥� in which an international consortium adds variably-priced 鈥渆xpress toll lanes鈥� in exchange for the right to keep almost all of the revenue for 50 years or more. They also want a more robust transit commitment.
A former Council of Governments chairman 鈥� speaking on the condition of anonymity 鈥� said that Wednesday鈥檚 vote shifts the 鈥渓everage鈥� in future negotiations strongly in Montgomery鈥檚 favor.
鈥淭he open question is whether or not that leverage translates into reducing the scope of the project from four new lanes to two reversible lanes鈥� on I-270, the former official said.
The source with knowledge of the project had a different view, suggesting that Elrich could be overplaying his hand. If the Maryland-Virginia 鈥渁ccord鈥� to rebuild the bridge were to die under the weight of Montgomery鈥檚 opposition, the source suggested, Elrich would be most likely to get the blame.
