MDOT just ramped up its effort to keep Maryland’s taxpayers in the dark about the Governor’s toll-lane plans for I-270 and I-495. Here’s how Maryland Matters describes what just happened:
“While Maryland residents and elected officials scurried around in preparation for the holidays last week, the state Department of Transportation quietly took a major step in its $11 billion I-495/I-270 ‘managed lanes’ highway project
“With no notice to the public, the agency issued its formal Request for Proposals (RFP) for the project late on Friday, Dec. 18. The four giant transportation consortiums that have formed to bid on the massive project were given three business days to return the ‘technical’ portion of their responses. (Financial responses are due on Jan. 8.)
“MDOT then slipped the RFP onto its website in the early evening hours of Dec. 23, after employees had gone home for the long holiday weekend.”
Read the whole, gripping story: MDOT Accelerates Timetable for Next Steps on Beltway Widening, Rearranges Project Phases.
Then see how MDOT’s latest holiday move puts Maryland’s taxpayers and commuters in extreme financial jeopardy and “makes a mockery of what is supposed to be competitive bidding.” Secret Deal Guarantees Sky-High Tolls On American Legion Bridge, Maryland Transit Opportunities Coalition.
Save the Dates
Jan. 7, 2021 (9:00 am): Montgomery County House Delegation. The meeting will be live-streamed on the Delegation’s YouTube page.
Jan. 7, 2021 (7:00 pm): District 39 Legislative Town Hall with Senator Nancy King, Delegate Gabriel Acevero, Delegate Lesley Lopez, and Delegate Kirill Reznik. Register here.
Jan. 7, 2021 (7:30 pm): CABE Townhall: 2021 Action Outlook with Delegates Kumar Barve, Marc Korman, Jared Solomon and others. Register here.
Jan. 10, 2021 (7:00 pm): District 17 Town Hall with Senator Cheryl Kagan, Delegate Kumar Barve, Delegate Jim Gilchrist, and Delegate Julie Palakovich Carr. Register at bit.ly/D17Jan2021.
Jan. 12, 2021 (7:00 pm): Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation’s virtual public meeting on I-495 American Legion Bridge transit recommendations. Register here.
P3 Jeopardizes Historical Site
The Moses Morningstar Cemetery (MMC) in the community of Gibson Grove, established by former enslaved people in the 1880s, is threatened by the proposed I-495 Beltway expansion. Project maps show some graves and parts of the Moses Hall Foundation are within the construction Limits of Disturbance.
The State has determined that the MMC is historically significant and community members and preservationists are trying to protect these important historic sites.
U.S. legislators from Maryland sent a letter to the Federal Highway Administration stating “…we risk once again committing the error of building roads without regard to the historic, cultural, and social values of vulnerable communities…”
Spread the Word about our Website and Newsletter
Please help us inform others about what we can do to safeguard our environment and promote healthy, efficient, and fair transportation options. We would like to connect with other residents of Montgomery County, especially upper county, as well as the Frederick area.
Refer them to our website (https://dontwiden270.org/) to learn mor e about Governor Hogan's plan to widen I-270 with expensive toll lanes and our efforts to prevent this project, which would cause enormous harm without solving traffic congestion. We even have a tab on the website with background documents in Spanish.
Tell interested individuals they can get on our newsletter e-mail list by going to https://dontwiden270.org/get-involved and checking the "keep me informed" box. We send out a newsletter about every 2 weeks with information about what is happening with the project.