Your Custom Text Here
Community Meeting Against Widening I-270 - March 9
DontWiden270.org is organizing a Community Meeting Against Widening I-270 on March 9th. In the wake of the Maryland Department of Transportation's (MDOT) decision to abandon consideration of all transit options to relieve congestion and focus solely on adding lanes to I-270, local residents are more concerned than ever about the uncertain fate of our homes, neighborhoods, and communities.
That’s why this meeting will focus on resident concerns and what our elected representatives are doing about this problem. This is your opportunity to hear from Delegate Kumar Barve, who heads the powerful Environment and Transportation Committee, and other local elected officials what actions they are taking to put the brakes on MDOT's plans to widen I-270. And its your opportunity to impress upon our elected officials the urgency of dealing with this debacle.
The meeting is on March 9th, at 3:00 pm at the Rockville Senior Center, 1150 Carnation Dr, Rockville.
There are three things you can do right now:
RSVP to let us know that you’ll be joining us, and if you can volunteer to help make the meeting a success!
Invite others to the meeting by sharing this invite with them.
Hogan admin Rejects Transit Options Preferred by Public, Limits I-495, I-270 Plans to Adding Lanes
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.
MDOT Document Reveals Ardent Opposition to I-270 / I-495 Widening
Official Tally Shows Transit and Technology Preferred to Adding Tolled, Other Lanes
(Rockville, February 12) Public comments on plans to widen I-270 and I-495 show significantly more support for keeping any changes within the highways’ existing footprint than any other viewpoint, according to the Maryland Department of Transportation’s (MDOT) own tally. The figures appear on a single page of a 130-page Alternatives Public Workshops Summary quietly published by MDOT and the Federal Highway Administration in sometime after January 30th. The document has not previously received public attention.
Read more here.