ROCKVILLE, Md. 鈥� The Montgomery County Council president slammed the governor鈥檚 proposal foron Interstate 270, the Capital Beltway and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.
Roger Berliner said on Monday that county leaders did not get advance notice of Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan鈥檚 suggestions, which were announced last week.
鈥淲e had no heads up, no communication whatsoever, with respect to this massive proposal,鈥� Berliner said.
Widening I-270 and the Beltway by four lanes each could require land from hundreds of homes and businesses, Berliner said. 鈥淵ou really think that this is going to happen? I don鈥檛 think so.”
Echoing , Berliner said the Beltway plan could even encroach on Holy Cross Hospital and would face significant challenges crossing Rock Creek and other park land.
Berliner called the plan just an 鈥渙pening salvo鈥� from the governor, since even bids for these ideas would likely not come in until after the November 2018 election.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to need a lot of fine-tuning to say the least,鈥� Berliner said. 鈥淏igger is not always better.鈥�
Montgomery County has advocated for two reversible lanes in each direction on I-270 as a more realistic alternative than two lanes in each direction given the significantly heavier traffic in the peak direction at rush hour than for reverse commuters.
鈥淎nd if you are concerned at all about the tolls, you want to make sure that what you鈥檙e doing is actually something that needs to be done and can be done,鈥� Berliner said.
Hogan鈥檚 proposal did not include any plans to upgrade the American Legion Bridge.
鈥淗is proposal says, ‘I will take you to the American Legion Bridge’鈥ut doesn鈥檛 say over the American Legion Bridge. This is the most significant choke-point in our entire region,鈥� Berliner said.
The plan also did not address transit options to avoid the tolls or reduce the number of lanes that might be needed. Montgomery County had to 鈥渂eg鈥� the state, in Berliner鈥檚 words, just to keep the long-planned Corridor Cities Transitway alive north of Shady Grove.
鈥淚t鈥檚 like this idea sprung from the mind of Zeus without any collaboration, without any conversation with the communities most impacted and most affected,鈥� Berliner said.
While Berliner is critical of the governor鈥檚 proposal, others have voiced support for it. The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce issued a statement after Hogan鈥檚 announcement last week, noting the chamber other groups 鈥渉ave called for these improvements for the past several years.鈥�
Council members Nancy Floreen and Craig Rice have also praised the governor for getting the ambitious road projects moving.
With Marriott moving its headquarters from a highway-centered location closer to transit options, and Amazon looking for a transit-oriented spot for new headquarters, Berlner said transit is key to luring and keeping jobs in the future.
While Hogan has suggested Baltimore is Maryland鈥檚 best bet for the new Amazon headquarters competition, Berliner said the state should provide the same incentive package for all of its sites, including Montgomery County鈥檚 proposal.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include comment from the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce as well as other council members.
