Announcement Bulldozes Public Comments, Concerns of Highway Neighbors
February 14, 2019 - The Hogan administration has announced its intention to limit its analysis of I-270 and I-495 options to those that add as many as four new lanes to one or both highways, and abandon consideration of rail, bus-rapid transit and bus-only lane options.
The announcement came just days after the transportation agency quietly published a summary of public comments which showed that the most preferred options are for any changes to stay within the existing footprints of the highways, and that transit solutions are preferred over adding lanes. It isn’t clear from MDOT’s announcement what the implications are for homes and businesses adjacent to the highways, but many have questioned how as many as four lanes could be added without having to pave over neighboring homes and properties.
“What does this mean for homes and neighborhoods by the highway? We still don’t know, and by throwing transit under the bus and limiting its focus to adding lanes, Governor Hogan’s administration is bulldozing over public opinion and raising the anxiety and uncertainty that nearby residents are experiencing over the future of our communities,” said Pete Altman of DontWiden270.org, a local citizen group opposed to widening the highways beyond their existing footprints.
Read more here.