I-270 Widening

I-270 Widening Project Proposal

Comments on this project can be submitted to MDOT until Dec. 15. Send an email to ALB270@mdot.maryland.gov.

Last Night's GFCA Government Affairs Committee Zoom Panel Discussion of the I-270 Toll Lanes Project

Oct 26, 2023

We had a very lively and informative meeting last night on the proposed toll lanes project. Thanks to Barb Coufal of Citizens Against Beltway Expansion and Brian Ditzler of the Sierra Club for providing excellent information and to those of you who attended for your thoughtful questions and comments. For those of you who were unable to attend and would like to see the event, the link to the recording is provided here:

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/WzKscBmeehGR2BUOE55kP6KmXvOTRwFQh1lTJXNg8PP-O-LUqcYYBQC1PyrpmkWG.1YyBY2VxMBfoVp-E

Below is information on the upcoming information meetings that are being held by the Maryland Department of Transportation on this proposed project. It is extremely important for you to communicate your views at one of the meetings and to our District councilmember, Kate Stewart (who opposes the project), the At-Large members of the Council, our District 16 Delegation, County Executive Marc Elrich and to our State Comptroller, Brooke Lierman (who also opposes the project and sits on the Public Works Committee that would have to approve any contracts for the project).

If you have any questions or would like more information, feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns.

Ed Rich
Chair, GFCA Government Affairs Committee

The Scheduled Open House Presentations by MDOT are Below:
It is vital that as many members of the public as possible attend one or more of these meetings and submit comments to MDOT.

Contact: Maryland Department of Transportation Office of Public Affairs
Jim Joyner, 410-865-1030
David Broughton, 410-865-1029

*** UPDATE ***
ADDITIONAL OPEN HOUSE ON AMERICAN LEGION BRIDGE AND 270 CORRIDOR PROGRAM SET FOR SATURDAY, DECEMBER 2, IN ROCKVILLEWeekend Public Meeting Provides Additional Opportunity for
Community Feedback and Direct Engagement on Transit, Ridesharing,
Transit-Oriented Development and Managed Lanes

The newly announced open house is centrally located in the program corridor:

Saturday, December 2, 10 a.m.-12 p.m., Thomas S. Wootton High School, 2100 Wootton Parkway, Rockville. Transit Accessible: Ride On routes 56, 301.

The series of open houses follow Governor Wes Moore’s August 21 announcement of the path forward for the future of the I-495 and I-270 corridors with a comprehensive program to improve access, opportunity, and quality of life in the Washington region through multimodal enhancements along the I-495 and I-270 corridors, including replacement of the aging American Legion Bridge.
The previously announced open houses will take place at three venues along the program corridor:

Monday, November 13, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, 4301 East-West Highway, Bethesda. Transit Accessible: WMATA Red Line, Bethesda Station; Metrobus J2; Ride On routes 29, 32, 34, 47, 70.
Wednesday, November 15, 6:30-8:30 p.m., DoubleTree Hotel, 620 Perry Parkway, Gaithersburg. Transit Accessible: Ride On routes 54, 55, 56, 59, 61.
Thursday, November 16, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Frederick High School, 650 Carroll Parkway, Frederick. Transit Accessible: Connector routes 40, 50, 51.

The same information will be available at each meeting at stations staffed by program team members. There will not be a formal presentation. Meeting materials will be available beginning on November 6 at www.americanlegionbridge270.com. The public is strongly encouraged to participate in the open house meetings. The Maryland Department of Transportation is committed to a collaborative approach to developing transportation solutions for the region.
As part of the American Legion Bridge and 270 Corridor Program, the Maryland Department of Transportation is advancing the following transportation solutions alongside stakeholder engagement:

Transit and Ridesharing. Maryland will advance transit options and transportation demand management enhancements along the American Legion Bridge, I-495 and I-270 corridors. The program will implement strategies such as express bus options in Maryland and connections to Virginia, ridesharing incentives and parallel transportation improvements including MARC Brunswick Line enhancements and Bus Rapid Transit.
Transit-Oriented Development. The Maryland Department of Transportation will advance Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) opportunities throughout the corridors. Maryland has previously supported TOD planning and implementation efforts throughout the WMATA Metrorail system. As part of this program, Maryland will look to accelerate investment in key corridor TOD projects to unlock new developments that create sustainable and inclusive communities.
Phased Approach to Managed Lanes. Implementation of managed lanes will be phased, with the American Legion Bridge, I-495 to the I-270 West Spur, and the I-270 West Spur being the focus for initial implementation. The section from the I-270 West Spur to I-370, including through the City of Rockville, will be addressed in a later phase. This phasing will allow for a rational and fiscally prudent phased development.
A Comprehensive Planning Strategy for I-270. Maryland will launch a formal environmental study to identify the transportation needs of I-270 North of the Intercounty Connector/MD 200, consider a range of concepts including transit and transportation demand management, and evaluate multimodal approaches for near-term implementation and construction.
Engagement on Delivery Method. Maryland will engage the public on the potential implementation of the managed lanes as a publicly funded and delivered project.

Those requiring assistance to participate in the open houses, such as a need for an interpreter for hearing/speech difficulties or assistance with the English language, should send an email in advance to SHATitleVI@MDOTmaryland.gov. Please indicate the desired language in the subject line. The Maryland Relay Service can assist teletype users at 7-1-1.
Stay in touch with MDOT on X (formerly Twitter) @mdotnews and at Facebook @mdotnews.

Meeting Notes and Action Items
Oct 25, 2023 | GFCA Govt Committee zoom mtg re I-270
Panel:: Barb Coufal, Citizens Against Beltway Expansion and Brian Ditzler, Sierra Club

Project Overview

One year ago, the federal government approved toll lanes from the American Legion Bridge to the I-270 spur to Gaithersburg. Environmental report determined that congestion will not be relieved, but current bottlenecks will be shifted northward. Results will be similar to the experience in Northern Virginia, where congestion has not been mitigated.
March 2023, TransUnion, Gov. Hogan’s PP3 (private-public partnership) Australian private partner, pulled out of the project entirely
August 2023, MDOT announced plans to move forward with toll lanes anyway.
They will not take PP3 contracting off the table if they can’t get federal funding for a taxpayer project

Phasing

Phase 1:
Adds two toll lanes (they call them “managed” lanes) on each side of the Beltway and on the I-270 western spur
One lane is created by widening, the 2nd lane removes the current 3 hr/day HOV lane and repurposes it to a 24/7 toll lane, reducing the effective general lanes on I-270 by 25%
Widen the American Legion Bridge, adding toll lanes to connect VA and MD lanes along with a bus rapid transit (BRT) lane
MDOT will seek $3.2B from federal funds
$800M is proposed to come from state bonds, paid from future tolls
Only $19M would be dedicated for transit initiatives: local gov’ts to subsidize low income household bus fares and set up a single BRT line to connect Tysons Corner, VA with Rockville, MD
Phase 2: toll lanes from Montrose Rd. to Gaithersburg to be added after Phase 1 completion

Moving Forward: Timeline and Who Will be Involved in Decision-making

There will be four public presentations by MDOT in the near future. A big turnout is vital
The Board of Public Works would need to approve funding of bonds. The board has three members, Governor Moore, Comptroller Lierman (who has already expressed opposition), and Treasurer Davis.
Bond issue must also be approved by the MD General Assembly
Sierra Club has filed a lawsuit, alleging that the environmental studies do not meet federal guidelines. The suit is currently in the hands of a judge.

Moving Forward: Some Consequences of Current Proposal (not a complete list)

Trucks will not use the express lanes, concentrating truck traffic onto the congested general lanes. This is dangerous
Access to the toll lanes will be in limited locations, which will cause drivers intending to use the toll lanes to drive through specific local roads for access
One of the current lanes in service, the HOV lane in each direction, is available to the general public most hours of the day. Once it is turned into a toll lane, it will be unavailable 24/7, effectively REDUCING the number of traffic lanes.
The toll lane economics only work if the general lanes are so congested that drivers will choose to pay to avoid them. This plan build in planned traffic congestion
Environmental damage is immense. Property taken, parkland destroyed, additional lanes equal more cars equal added air and noise pollution, which has been shown to have adverse health effects on neighboring residents
Sound barriers may be moved. MDOT is currently surveying along I-270, and the proposal states that they can use their entire right-of-way, but that may be inside of current sound barriers.
No local stormwater mitigation is planned. There will be an increase in polluted runoff from the additional pavement, but the planners are allowed to compensate water management in other parts of the state, not necessarily where the damage is.
The American Legion Bridge will not be optimized for transit, but will be rebuilt with the toll lanes, which can accommodate a singe BRT line from Rockville to Tysons Corner. There are plans for a bike and pedestrian lane across the bridge.

What To Ask For and About

Transit options must be implemented, planned and built, before any highway expansion is considered. MDOT and Gov. Moore are pursuing this the other way round
University of Maryland transportation study concludes that reducing traffic volume by 5% (and optimally up to 15%) obviates the need for any highway expansion. A 5% reduction in volume reduces highway congestion by 32%.
Expand MARC and Metro systems
Build the Corridor Cities Transitway, currently envisioned as a BRT, that connects the Shady Grove Road Metro to upcounty. It was planned to go to Clarksburg and tie in all of the bio-tech centers along the way.
Widen I-270 north of Gaithersburg, where it narrows to 2 lanes each way. This is where the congestion is.

Governor Moore said he would evaluate the project with transit and social equity in mind, but then he and MDOT promoted Hogan’s toll lane and beltway expansion plan. Although MDOT is ostensibly requesting public input at 4 scheduled Open House presentations, public comments can’t be implemented since his has adopted Hogan’s Record of Decision, which partially cements the plans.

Action items

Attend at least one of the planned four Open Houses. It is critically important to have a big turnout by the public with lots of comments submitted.
- Monday, November 13, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm, Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School
- Wednesday, November 15, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm, Doubletree Hotel, 620 Perry Parkway, G’burg
- Thursday, November 16, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Frederick High School, 650 Carroll Parkway, Frederick
- Saturday, December 2, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.,Wootton High School, 2100 Wootton Parkway, Rockville
Press Montgomery County councilmembers to object to the project with the governor and MDOT. See below for contact information for legislators, councilmembers, etc.
Contact the Board of Public Works to disapprove any contracts
Thank Councilmember Kate Stewart for work in opposition to this project
Ask MD legislature to oppose issuing bonds
Request that our county council make a consistent statement with the one put out by Prince Georges council
Contact County Executive Marc Elrich to ask why he has not been publicly critical of Gov. Moore’s plan

August 2023 - Governor Moore announces priority to replace American Legion Bridge and promote transit - Released plan backtracks on promises.

Read the Bethesda Magazine article here. Particulary informative.

Read the Washington Post article here.

June 2023 - Lawsuit filed

Below are two notable items. The first is an explanation of the need for the second.

From Elliott Levine, OSR:
It might not be clear to the neighborhood why this lawsuit is important and necessary. Many thought that when former Hogan's favorite builder--Transurban pulled out of the highway project, that the project was a dead issue. It turns out that this is not the case. This became apparent last week when the Lt. Governor, Aruna Miller spoke about this project at a public meeting.

The article below from CABE summarizes Aruna Miller's comments:
Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller’s remarks at a recent meeting of the Action Committee for Transit have raised alarms about the Moore administration’s plans with respect to the toll lanes. In response to a question, Miller stated that the administration would not revisit the environmental review of the project to study alternatives to the toll lanes. It appears that they are committed to constructing toll lanes, although it is not clear how extensive they would be or whether they would be private toll lanes.
Miller claimed that it would take 10 years to redo the environmental study. This is a disingenuous exaggeration. It took the Hogan administration 5 years to study its plan and get federal approval for it. Moreover, a study by the Moore administration would benefit from the research already done for the Hogan plan.
Miller also stated that there is not enough transit in the region and that this required the construction of more highway lanes. But, the way to solve the problem of insufficient transit is to develop more transit, not build more highway lanes that would encourage more vehicle traffic. CABE and other opponents of the toll lanes have proposed that MDOT study a number of alternatives to toll lanes, including incentives to encourage more telework, as the pandemic demonstrated that this is a viable and effective solution to reducing congestion.
While we hoped that the Moore administration would take a hard look at alternatives to adding toll lanes, we see no evidence that they are doing so.

Court Asked to Put Brakes on Beltway Toll Lanes Project - Press release from Sierra Club
WASHINGTON (June 16, 2023) – Environmental and historic preservation groups asked a federal court to put the brakes on Maryland’s plan to build new toll lanes along the Capital Beltway and I-270.
The request for summary judgment filed today lays out detailed evidence that the Federal Highway Administration and Maryland Department of Transportation failed to adequately assess and disclose the project’s impacts.
In its haste to try and get this harmful project started, the Hogan administration cut corners and ignored legally required steps. The new administration of Gov. Wes Moore now has the opportunity to conduct the robust and just environmental review that the law requires.
The Maryland Chapter of the Sierra Club, Friends of Moses Hall, National Trust for Historic Preservation, and NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) filed the motion for summary judgment today in the ongoing case against the Maryland Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland. Northern Virginia Citizens Association, which filed a separate lawsuit challenging the project, joined portions of the brief and asserted its own claims.
The filing notes that expanding these highways into the region’s dense network of communities, parkland, waterways, and historic places would cause significant harm to public health, to natural resources, and to culturally significant historic places that were already impacted by the original Beltway construction in the 1960s.
The agencies “had to first take a close look at the harms the project would cause, and the alternatives to it. And they owed the public a candid assessment of the damage from this multi-billion-dollar project before approving it,” the filing says. “They failed on both counts.”
The filing details a series of violations, including:

failing to analyze public health harms from air pollution, including disproportionate impacts on vulnerable communities near I-270;
withholding information about how the Maryland Department of Transportation predicted the project’s effects on traffic, thwarting informed public participation;
failing to determine whether the project would disturb graves in the Morningstar Moses Cemetery and Hall, a historic African-American burial ground adjacent to the Beltway, and misleading the public about impacts to the cemetery; and
failing to carefully consider project alternatives that would have avoided or minimized harms to the biodiversity-rich and historic Plummers Island.

“Maryland admits that there might be people buried in the project’s path, and so it has misled the public with its assertions that the project would completely avoid Morningstar Moses Cemetery and Hall,” said Diane Baxter, a board member of Friends of Moses Hall. “Approving the project before determining whether it would desecrate this historic African-American burial ground was wrong. The Morningstar Moses Cemetery must be protected.”
“The project hasn’t changed, and it’s still advancing despite serious flaws and inadequate impact analysis. It would benefit only a few at a very high cost to our air, water, climate, natural and cultural resources, and adjacent neighborhoods,” said Josh Tulkin, director of the Maryland Chapter of the Sierra Club. “Transportation is the largest source of climate pollution in Maryland. We need 21st century solutions that benefit our communities and the climate.”
“We oppose the misguided plan to expand the Beltway and I-270 and further diminish the site of the Morningstar Tabernacle No. 88 Order of Moses Cemetery and Hall,” said Jay Clemens, Interim President & CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “Formally established more than 130 years ago, this historic African American settlement and burial ground has already been bisected by highway planners once before, during the initial construction of the Beltway at mid-century. It is irresponsible to consider using taxpayer money to expand upon that injustice in the present day.”
“Maryland residents got a visceral reminder of the full impact of the climate crisis last week as smoke from wildfires made our air hazardous to breathe,” said Pete DeMarco, a lawyer for NRDC. “By bringing more cars onto these highways and creating new traffic bottlenecks, this project would worsen deadly air pollution, especially for nearby environmental justice communities. The state failed to account for the threats this project poses.”

UPDATE! I-270 Project is on Hold for Now

Washington Post article 3/9/2023

by Ed Rich

We have been opposed to Governor Hogan's plans to turn I-270 over to a private company in a 50-year
contract to add four toll lanes to I-270 from the Beltway to I-370. Hogan’s proposal is an environmental disaster for our neighborhood, and it would not solve the traffic congestion issues. We have taken that message to the County Council, the Montgomery Planning Board, the County Executive, the MD General Assembly, the
Governor's office, the MD Board of Public Works, the State Comptroller, the MD Department of Transportation, and the federal Department of Transportation. In each forum, we have advocated for solutions, such as expanded rail service along the 270 and 495 corridors that cross the American Legion Bridge, increasing use of telework and staggered work hours, improvements to rail service (Metro, MARC, Monorail or rail service on the 270 corridor), and expanded development of Smart-Growth communities at and around major transit hubs. We have partnered with organizations, such as the Citizen’s Against Beltway Expansion, Don't Widen 270, the
Sierra Club, Maryland Advocates for Sustainable Transportation, the Maryland Climate Coalition and the
Coalition for Smart Growth. We, along with others, pushed the state and the federal government to reexamine Gov. Hogan’s and MDOT’s misinformation presented in favor of this project and to consider alternatives that can address transportation issues in an environmentally and economically sound way.

We are pleased to report that the MD Department of Transportation has delayed submission of the
private company contract to the Maryland Board of Pubic Works until after Governor-elect Wes Moore is sworn in. This means that the project, if it is presented at all, will be considered by a Board that will consist of Governor Moore, Comptroller Brooke Lierman, and Treasurer Dereck Davis. Governor Moore has stated that he would like to see a "new type of proposal," one that emphasizes reversible lanes (a concept being pushed by County Executive Elrich), increased transit and greater collaboration with local "stakeholders." In an interview with Maryland Matters, Elrich said that the focus should be on the use of federal infrastructure spending to address the real bottleneck, the American Legion Bridge crossing the Potomac River. Elrich stated: "We can do this right. It doesn't have to be this expensive. It doesn't have to be this destructive."

Montgomery County Council holds a Zoom hearing about the Montgomery Planning Board's "Corridor Forward" recommendations

Ed Rich testified on our behalf about our objections to false promises of future transportation funding from the projected tolls, recommending public bond funding for transportation improvements and appropriate transit measures to be pursued by the county and state. His testimony is HERE.

Click HERE for a summary of why GFCA opposes this project

Below are GFCA's testimony and a letter submitted by multiple organizations, including GFCA, during the Public Comments period

Governor Hogan's MDOT is Using Taxpayer Money for a Propaganda Campaign Which Doesn't Mention Toll Lanes

Here is the article from Maryland Matters

November 9, 2021, was the deadline for submitting comments to the public record for the Maryland Department of Transportation on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement issued by them on the proposal to add between
2 and 4 lanes to the 12 lane I-270. Along with numerous community members from our neighborhood, the GFCA submitted a detailed and well-reasoned statement. Our community's concerns include negative impacts on the environment, our climate, the increased amounts of vehicle-created air pollutants that we would be breathing, and the, potentially, billions of dollars taxpayers would be paying to fund this project and relocation of WSSC
infrastructure. The GFCA faulted the EIS for failing to consider or model alternatives, such as telecommuting, staggered work hours, convenient, consistent and affordable transit alternatives, and smart growth that includes affordable housing around transit hubs such as Metro Stations. We asked the state to go back to the drawing board and consider real, rather than simplistic, solutions to the issue of traffic congestion.

Ed Rich, President GFCA

August 11, 2021
GFCA Concerns and Objections about the I-270 Public-Private Partnership (P3) Project

The P3 project will provide for a 50-year contract with a private company to operate High Occupancy Tolls (HOT) lanes from the American Legion Bridge to the interchange of I-270 and I-370. The contract scope includes rebuilding the American Legion Bridge and adding two toll lanes in each direction along I-495 to I-270, then along I-270 to 0.6 miles north of the exit at I-370. The pertinent sections of I-495 and I270 will include adding infrastructure necessary to operate the toll lanes, including an access point from Montrose Road. While the state is undertaking to pay for a variety of pre-build tasks (see note 1 below), the company will be responsible for building/rebuilding the bridge and roads, including signage, storm water management, etc. In exchange, the company will make money from the tolls, with the state guaranteeing a certain minimum income. It is unclear how the state will divide up its share of any profits, including what it will give the county and other interested parties as their cut. Some of the state’s share is said to be earmarked to fund other road projects, including a few for Frederick County and the extension of the HOT lanes beyond I-370.

The project has cleared a number of important hurdles and went to the Board of Public Works (BPW) for approval on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. The BPW is composed of the Governor, the Comptroller Peter Franchot, and the Treasurer, Nancy Kopp. The Treasurer voted no; Franchot voted yes with the Governor. After this vote, the project must be cleared through the federal air quality study and the final Environmental Impact Statement. The state has already committed to a developer, the same company which operates the Virginia toll lanes along
I-495. Once the contract is signed, the state will face significant financial penalties to pull out (see note 2 below).

The approach selected for the expanded I-270 includes 16 lanes with two HOT lanes in each direction. The design utilizes space currently used for HOV lanes, jersey walls/separations of the main and express lanes, easements, and strips of land from some properties along the roadway. No homes in our neighborhood will be removed; however, some properties and the two conservation easements in the neighborhood (one at the end of Tilden Lane and the other next to the ramp/exit on Montrose backing to Whippoorwill Lane homes) will lose strips as two storm management ponds and other areas necessary to the road are constructed. The map provided by SHA-MDOT suggests that at least parts of the wall will be rebuilt where the existing wall is, but the map feature is difficult to read and it comes with the caveat that the maps are preliminary and subject to change when the final blueprint is developed. (See the link below to the interactive map.) This map also suggests where the limit of disturbance (LOD) may be, although the DEIS indicates that the allowable LOD is up to 20 feet from the house wall. LOD pertains to how much area the construction company can use to build the noise barriers, to store machinery and equipment, etc., and will result in compacted earth and removal of vegetation, as needed.

July 23, 2021
Letter to councilmembers who endorsed I-270 plan, from Ed Rich, GFCA president

Councilmembers Albornoz, Reimer, Friedson, Rice and Navarro,

As the President of the Greater Farmland Civic Association, which represents almost 1000 households that directly abut the 14 lane highway known as Interstate 270 and that deal daily with the noise and air pollution generated by its traffic, our residents are dismayed at your about-face decision on Governor Hogan's I-270 P3 project by your last minute decision to request that the Regional Transportation Planning Board return the 270 P3 Project to the Visualize 2045 Plan without any outreach to our community to discuss this or without an opportunity for us to express our concerns to you at a public meeting of the County Council prior to your decision. This decision flies in the face of Maryland's Open Meeting requirements and your obligation to consult with your constituents before deciding to support something that will have such dire health consequences for us in the future and is a direct affront to addressing the climate crisis we all are facing.

In the letter that the entire County Council, along with County Executive Elrich, sent to Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) Secretary Gregory Slater on November 9, 2020, the Council expressed concerns about the Managed Lanes Study Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). Your concerns included:

Insufficient Alternatives Analysis: “In our current review of the DEIS, we do not find an
alternative that is more attractive than the county’s proposed alternative. We did not find any
current alternative that was suitable for the entire geographic area of the study.”

Confidence in the Project and the Public Private Partnership (P3) Model: “In terms of
transportation benefits, in some instances, the No-Build appears to be the best performing
alternative. For example, the No-Build condition provides the fastest average speed and the most reliability for the general-purpose lanes on I-270 northbound in the PM peak hour… In terms of equity, without a robust transit component and favorable policy for high-occupancy vehicles (HOVs), we are concerned that this project will further disadvantage those who are unable to afford to use priced managed lanes in their own personal vehicle. MDOT’s current experience with the Purple Line reinforces our concerns about the public private partnership model and therefore, we urge extreme caution about embarking on such a significant undertaking without more confidence in the project risks and the protections to the taxpayers from another massive and complex public-private partnership.”

Changing Travel Patterns: “[W]e remain concerned about the range of solutions under
consideration and the short- and long-term impacts of these strategies. Additionally, MDOT
needs to be cautious as the COVID-19 pandemic may have caused permanent changes in
regional travel patterns. As an example, a new independent study conducted for the Northern
Virginia Transportation Authority predicts far lower vehicle miles traveled across the region in
2025 than previously thought. The study predicts that Northern Virginians will spend 31% less
time traveling at all in 2025 than they would have without COVID."

Inadequate Purpose and Need: “We urge MDOT to broaden its focus so that this project
conforms, at a minimum, to the established practice in the region that new express toll facilities
provide meaningful and ongoing support to transit.”

Uncertain Environmental Impacts and Mitigation: “More detail is needed on the specific
strategies planned to address storm water runoff, impacts to streams, and other watershed
impacts. The project must also address air quality impacts to nearby communities.”

Based upon this letter, Councilmember Glass voted to remove the P3 Project from the Regional Transportation Plan. Given the intransigence of the Governor and MDOT on this project, the failed "promises" made by the Governor and MDOT, including not moving the project forward to a vote by the Public Works Board until the completion of the EIS, this was the right vote. This would have forced the Governor to come to the bargaining table and design a rational, environmentally friendly and fiscally responsible project that protects us and actually makes sense. Because of your press release, due to his rational and well-reasoned views on the project's failures and pitfalls, Councilmember Glass let Glenn Orlin cast a vote at this week's meeting of the TPB to put the project back into the Plan.

What changed? Surely a "promise" by Greg Slater to provide the County with $60 million in funding for design of either the Corridor CIties Transitway (projected to cost almost $8 billion in 2016 dollars) or the 355 Bus Rapid Transit Project (projected to cost between $7 million and $25 million per mile in 2019 dollars) didn't cause you to change your mind. Throwing the Council a bone for totally unrelated projects (and not even worth the paper on which the promise was written) could not have been the reason for such a radical change in position, could it? Remember the promise to complete the Environmental Impact Statement before the contract was submitted for a vote to the Board of Public Works? Where did that promise go? What about the promise that the project would not cost Marylanders any money? Where did that go? What about the promise that drivers would not lose any "free" lanes? Where did that go? What about the promise not to impact any parkland or take any homes or other property? Where did that go? What about the promise that the Purple Line would not cost taxpayers a dime? Where did that go? What about your obligation to be open and honest to your constituents? Where did that go? Mr. Albornoz, as a former Director of the Department of Recreation with a responsibility to be a good steward of the public lands, one would have thought that you would have a better reason to destroy the environment in which we live than simply for the "promise" of design funding for two projects that are and have been designed for some time.

We believe that we deserve better from our elected representatives than the issuance of a press release to support a project with so many problems that it makes our heads spin. Do you really believe that this project as currently constituted is the solution to traffic congestion? Are you trying to provide cover to Peter Franchot so that he can vote in favor of this at the Board of Public Works in support of his run for Governor? Is this a transparent dig at our current County Executive for those interested in his job? We believe that we are entitled to more than the lip service of a press release. And no, our residents are not "far-left activists", as Governor Hogan would paint us as. Far from it, we are gravely concerned about our future and the future of our existence on this planet.

We request the opportunity to meet with you as soon as it can be arranged.

Ed Rich
President
Greater Farmland Civic Association

July 21, 2021
Today, the regional Transportation Planning Board (TPB) voted to keep Governor Hogan's proposed expansion of I-495 and I-270 with four private toll lanes in the long-range transportation plan. We are very disappointed by this outcome, given the serious flaws in Maryland's study. View our full press release statement here.

This was a re-vote — the TPB previously voted on June 16th to remove the toll lanes from the long-range transportation plan, meaning that the project could not receive federal approval. The changed vote is due in part to a last-minute pivot by Montgomery County Councilmembers Hans Riemer, Andrew Friedson, Nancy Navarro, Gabe Albornoz, and Craig Rice. In the end, Montgomery County Council, Prince George's County Council, and the Prince George's County Executive flipped to support the toll lane expansion, along with the City of Fairfax, City of Alexandria, and Arlington County.

Governor Hogan successfully used strong-arm tactics to threaten local officials with cuts to other projects (even though he wasn't funding many of these as it is!) and by promising Montgomery County to fund the design (not construction) of local transit projects, such as the Corridor Cities Transitway and MD-355 bus rapid transit projects. While these are important transit projects, there is no commitment to fund construction, and it's not worth taking one step forward on transportation while also taking a huge step backward.

To be clear, we agree that we need to address the Beltway and I-270, but the process has been distorted from the beginning because of the power of the toll road companies and Governor Hogan starting with the conclusion first and failing to objectively consider alternatives.

Evaluation of alternatives is particularly important because the highway expansion will harm hundreds of acres of parkland, wetlands, and waterways, as well as lead to more noise, air pollution, stormwater runoff, and greenhouse gas emissions.

But this isn't the end of the fight.

The next decision point is at Maryland's three-person Board of Public Works, where Comptroller Peter Franchot is the key swing vote. The vote on the project's predevelopment contract is likely to take place either at the end of this month or in early August — before the final environmental impact statement has been completed.
Email Maryland's Board of Public Works today!If the pre-development agreement is approved, the state will be on the hook to reimburse the private project developers up to $50 million taxpayer dollars if the project does not receive federal approval or is canceled for other reasons.

We believe that good government demands that members of the Board of Public Works and the public should know the full fiscal, environmental, and social risks of this project by completing the environmental impact study before the BPW votes — certainly before locking Maryland into a long-term, exclusive contract.

This project isn't worth the high cost to parks, streams, neighborhoods, taxpayers, and drivers. Instead of investing in transit-oriented communities — especially in Prince George’s County — it condemns residents of the east side of our region to forever having more costly, long commutes. Read more in CSG's executive director's op-ed in the Baltimore Sun.

In conclusion, use this form to tell the Maryland Board of Public Works to reject the predevelopment agreement and go back to the drawing board for more sustainable solutions!
Thanks for all you do,
Jane Lyons
Maryland Advocacy Manager
Coalition for Smarter Growth

HISTORY AND BACKGROUND

Gov. Hogan originally proposed the I-270 and I-495 widening plan in late 2017. He has consistently said the project will reduce traffic congestion in the region, and that doing nothing will only worsen the issue.
The project changed considerably in May, when the Maryland Department of Transportation announced the first phase of the public private partnership would focus on reconstructing the American Legion Bridge and constructing two high-occupancy toll (HOT) managed lanes in each direction from the southern end of I-270 to I-370.
It also included those managed lanes in a small segment along I-495 from west of the spur to the American Legion bridge.
Previously, the first phase would have included toll lanes east of the I-270 spur all the way to near Md. 5, southeast of Washington D.C.
Maryland Transportation Authority board members gave preliminary approval to multiple aspects of the project earlier this month, including the selection of the developer, Accelerate Maryland Partners LLC. That developer consists of Transurban and Macquarie Capital as lead project developer and equity members involved in the project.
Accelerate Maryland Partners was competing against other developers, including Cintra, a Spanish firm, for the project. In March, Cintra filed a protest against Accelerate’s winning bid, claiming state officials chose a team who used “unreasonably low assumptions for construction costs,” The Washington Post reported.
The project could face a court battle, depending on how Cintra chooses to proceed after the MDTA board’s vote earlier this month.
Excerpted from Bethesda Magazine, June 16, 2021, byline Steve Bohnel

We are members of three organizations opposing the expansion project, Don't Widen 270, Citizens Against Beltway
Expansion, and Maryland Advocates for Sustainable Transportation. Several bills were submitted to the General
Assembly this spring regarding issues with Hogan’s proposal, and the GFCA submitted testimony and co-signed letters, along with such groups as the Sierra Club, the National Parks Conservation Association, the Coalition for Smarter Growth, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and the Washington Area Bicyclists Association. Delegate Marc Korman introduced The Promises Act and another bill that would create a legislative oversight panel for public-private partnership projects, require a full environmental impact statement be completed prior to any pre-solicitation documents being issued, and prevent a selected contractor from blocking locally supported transportation projects. Having not passed this year, these bills will have to be pursued in the 2022 MD Assembly.

We will work with Congressmen Raskin & Brown to have the Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg, reevaluate this highway project and remove federal funding if it doesn’t comport with President Biden's goals for federal infrastructure.

GFCA is joining with other groups to urge the MD Board of Public Works not to select a contractor for the project until the completion of the Environmental Impact Statement. Contact Peter Franchot, the State Comptroller and the swing vote on the MD Board of Public Works, to express your opposition to the I-270 project, at pfranchot@comp.state.md.us.

On June 16, Governor Hogan's project was set back by a vote from the regional Transportation Planning Board. Read more...

June 29, 2021 GFCA Testimony Submitted to Maryland House and Senate

May 17, 2021 GFCA Testimony for Air Quality Committee

February 22, 2021 GFCA Testimony to Environment & Transportation Committee re: HB 0067

February 22, 2021 GFCA Testimony to Budget & Taxation Committee re: HB 0843

October 30, 2020, GFCA Testimony to MD Department of Transportation

Additional GFCA Statements on Widening of I-270

November 20, 2019: GFCA Statement at Joint Priorities Hearing on HB1091. Read...
GFCA Statement on House Bills 91 and 92. Read...
GFCA Statement on House Bills 663 and 695. Read...
GFCA Statement on I-270 & I-495 Managed Lane Study. Read...