Our Governor is in the process of making a very bad choice. He’s picking up Larry Hogan’s backward-looking behemoth of a plan and saying, in effect, this is the best the Moore administration can come up with for our MD-DC corridor. Unwanted, unworkable toll lanes.
Here’s what we know:
The Governor is applying for a federal grant (taxpayer money) to help fund Phase 1 of MDOT-built toll lanes. The grant program is highly competitive, and the project’s many deficiencies may lessen the state’s chances.
Per MDOT, Phase 1 will go from the GW Parkway in Virginia (why is MD building toll lanes in VA?), across the bridge and up I-495 and the I-270 West Spur, ending north of a to-be-built interchange at Westlake Drive. (See the map below, which also shows toll lanes on a section to the east.)
Lower I-270 may get toll lanes as part of a later phase.
Upper I-270 may get who knows what as part of a later, later phase.
The Governor’s grant application “does not preclude a public-private partnership model favored by former Gov. Larry Hogan.”
The project still faces the strong lawsuit brought by the Sierra Club, National Resources Defense Council, and historic preservation groups.
If the project does go forward – and that is far from a given – it would be years before Phase 1 construction could begin.
Scope of New Phase 1 Proposal for Managed Lanes [toll lanes]
From MDOT Grant Application Project Description, p. 3; Maryland State Highway Administration
This can’t be the legacy our Governor wants
We are in a climate crisis. Chasms between the wealthiest and the rest intensify inequity, and there are huge shifts in how and where people work.
The toll lane plan would cement inequity, exacerbate the climate emergency, ignore future workforce needs, and tie up state resources and transportation policy for generations. All for a project that, for the vast majority, can’t possibly work.
The public will not thank Gov. Moore or the elected officials who support him in this plan.
Already the Governor, like Hogan before him, has had to disguise the truth of what he’s proposing. Only a few days ago, MDOT rolled out the toll lane project with a statement that did not include the word “toll.” MDOT’s press blitz falsely portrayed the toll lanes as some kind of public transit bonanza.
The Governor can change his mind
Many, many effective, forward-looking alternatives to toll lanes are on the table right now. See here and here and here. They would reduce congestion singly or in combination without harming the public and the environment.
If Montgomery County officials hear from large numbers of their constituents, they are more likely to urge the Governor to adopt alternatives instead of the toll lanes. Councilmember Kate Stewart has already issued a powerful statement.
A vast army of advocates, activists, allied elected officials -- and virtually all Marylanders who newly learn the true dimensions of the Governor's bad choice -- will not stop until the toll lane scheme is cancelled.
Take Action Now
This is the beginning of our latest push to convince the Governor and local elected officials to pivot from Hogan’s toll lane plan to effective alternatives. Spread the word. Tell everyone you know to click on this link from Citizens Against Beltway Expansion. Use the prepopulated message or your own words to tell the Montgomery County Council to reach out to Moore now.
Thank you to all who have sent messages before. Keep going – numbers matter! More action items coming soon.