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Former Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) says it鈥檚 time for the leading combatants in the debate over the proposed widening of Interstates 270 and 495 to end their public bickering and cut a deal.
In an interview with聽Maryland Matters, the former three-term-executive said his successor, Marc B. Elrich (D), and Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) need to resolve their differences over how best to provide congestion relief for motorists who live in 鈥� and travel through 鈥� the state鈥檚 largest county.
鈥淚 would take them both, put them in a room, and throw away the keys 鈥� and say 鈥榶ou鈥檙e not coming out of here until you resolve this,鈥欌�� Leggett said.
Hogan unveiled his plan to add four privately-financed 鈥渆xpress toll lanes鈥� to portions of the Beltway and I-270 in 2017.
Elrich, who was elected county executive after a dozen years on the county council, has pressed for changes since soon after taking office in 2018.
Along with Council President Tom Hucker (D), he urged the state to abandon plans to widen the Beltway between the I-270 spurs and the Prince George鈥檚 County border, due to space constraints.
And Elrich pressed the state to prioritize the reconstruction of the American Legion Bridge 鈥� an aging Potomac River crossing that slows commuters morning and evening.
He continues to urge the state to scale back its plan for I-270, installing a pair of 鈥渞eversible鈥� lanes rather than adding four.
The Maryland Department of Transportation has made multiple changes to Hogan鈥檚 original plan to accommodate pleas from local leaders and other critics.
Despite the adjustments, top county leaders and the state remain unable to strike a deal on the multi-billion dollar project. (County planners and the National Capital Planning Commission also oppose Hogan鈥檚 plan.)
Much of the opposition flows from Hogan鈥檚 insistence that the state use private funding to expand the two highways. The governor maintains there is no alternative, but critics contend that 鈥渕anaged lanes鈥� disproportionately benefit upper-income commuters.
Leggett called it 鈥渋rresponsible鈥� to reject so-called 鈥減ublic-private partnerships鈥� out of hand, 鈥渂ecause you don鈥檛 have the bandwidth, taxes and otherwise, given all the projects around the state, to 鈥� within reason 鈥� fulfill all the other projects that we have.鈥�
The former executive said the lengthy back-and-forth between locals and the state has hurt the pursuit of a compromise.
鈥淲hen you鈥檝e lost that trust, it鈥檚 hard to get back to the table,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I鈥檇 put 鈥榚m in a room and throw away the key.鈥�
On Sunday, Elrich expressed optimism that he and Transportation Secretary Greg Slater will be able to come to terms.
He added that soon after the capital region鈥檚 Transportation Planning Board voted to聽, Slater contacted him.
鈥淪hortly after the vote, Sec. Slater reached out and asked if we could talk and I said yes,鈥� Elrich texted. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been trying to work with the state since the beginning and continue to hope we can work something out.鈥�
Some backers of the governor鈥檚 plan accuse Montgomery鈥檚 top officials of 鈥榤oving the goalposts,鈥� though most are unwilling to do so on the record.
After the TPB vote, Hogan鈥檚 communications director said the county executive is聽.
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�
Leggett, who was appointed by Hogan to serve on the University of Maryland Board of Regents in 2019, said the governor deserves credit for making congestion relief in the D.C. area a priority.
But he also said MDOT should have reached out to people who live near the Beltway and I-270 sooner, to work through concerns about what Hogan鈥檚 plan would mean for their homes and neighborhoods, and the environment.
鈥淭here have been some mistakes on both sides,鈥� he said.
Despite the bad blood and the 鈥渆longated鈥� process, Leggett still thinks a compromise is there to be had.
鈥淕iven what we see that鈥檚 on the table, [and] what local officials 鈥� most of them 鈥� have said, I think there鈥檚 a reasonable compromise to this thing,鈥� he said.
鈥淵ou know my leadership style. I don鈥檛 walk away from anything,鈥� he added. 鈥淚 believe there is a deal out there that can be made. And I鈥檓 optimistic that when we get the parties together and build that trust, we鈥檙e going to get a deal.鈥�
