A Bridge Too Far? Maryland and Virginia Announce Partnership to Widen the American Legion Bridge, Adding More Confusion to the 495-270-P3 Project

On November 12, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan and Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced a partnership to rebuild and widen the American Legion Bridge. The agreement states that Virginia will help pay for the project even though most of the Bridge belongs to Maryland.

The exact design of new bridge is far from finalized. The actual details still need to be worked out by the Departments of Transportation in both states.

The announcement is opaque. Governor Hogan’s and Maryland Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Rahn’s actual intentions and MDOT’s immediate and long-range plans and schedules are entirely unknown. 

How will this agreement affect the proposed P3 plan? It seems that the tollways would be added to I-495, I-270, and the American Legion Bridge at the same time.And this changes what the Board of Public Works (BPW) approved. 

At their June 5 meeting. the BPW approved an amendment added at Governor Hogan’s request to widen the southern segment of I-270 ahead of widening the Beltway or the American Legion Bridge. 

This BPW-approved plan, addressing 270 first, was impractical. It would lead to increasing congestion at the American Legion Bridge, already one of the largest traffic bottlenecks in the region.  

The BPW now needs to vote on the new proposal before contracts can be developed. It is currently unknown when this will be placed on the BPW agenda.

Their vote will force more information to be revealed on the actual details of the plan. These details will appear in the background agenda package that will be put together for the BPW review.  

How you can help

Dontwiden270.org, along with our partner organizations, will have to rethink our approaches and strategies to confront the Governor’s new P3 plan as the details emerge.

We will keep you informed and let you know how you can help once we have more details

Learn more

  • Refer to the Dontwiden270.org Media Archives tab for additional information on the announcement and its implications.

  • See Citizens against Beltway Expansion (CABE)’s November 13 blog, “Relaunch of Luxury Lanes," which discusses why the risks, costs, and obstacles of the P3 plan are unchanged as a result of this agreement.

    • The CABE commentary also explains why the BPW needs to require an independent analysis of the proposal’s fiscal and financial data.

Joint Maryland House and Senate Priorities Meeting

  • When: Wednesday, November 20 at 7:00 p.m.

  • Where: Montgomery County Council Hearing Room (Third floor), 100 Maryland Avenue, Rockville MD

This hearing is your opportunity to present issues of concern to our county delegation in Annapolis. It is our chance to tell our legislators about the work we want them to do. 

  • Show up and let our legislators know that you are opposed to Governor Hogan’s plan.

  • Speak out. Give testimony. Our information sheet explains how to testify at a Montgomery County Delegation hearing and includes a sample legislative testimony template.


MDOT Briefing to Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission (MNCPPC)

  • When: Wednesday, November 20 at 10:00 a.m.

  • Where: MNCPPC Headquarters, 8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring MD

MDOT will provide updates on the Interstate 495 and Interstate 270 Managed Lanes Study to the 10-member governing body of the MNCPPC. The meeting agenda will focus on MDOT’s analysis of the MD 200 (ICC) Diversion Alternative added to the preliminary alternatives for review to determine whether to include it as an alternative retained for detailed study (ARDS). Discussion will also include potential revisions to the ARDS.

The meeting is open to the public, but no testimony will be taken. The briefing will be streamed live at MontgomeryPlanningBoard.org.

 

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Coming soon: Joint Maryland House and Senate Priorities Meeting

The Montgomery County Delegation to the General Assembly will hold its Joint Priorities Hearing on Nov. 20. This is your opportunity to present issues of concern to our county delegation in Annapolis. Show up and let our legislators know that you are opposed to Governor Hogan’s plan. 

We will be sending you further information about participating in this meeting as well as information for those who wish to testify. Watch for details.

  • When: Wednesday, November 20 at 7:00 p.m.

  • Where: Montgomery County Council Hearing Room (Third floor), 100 Maryland Avenue, Rockville MD

Why is this hearing important?
It is our chance to tell our legislators about the work we want them to do, such as passing bills that can become laws. For example, we can support their efforts for oversight of this project.

To date, the governor's plan to add toll lanes to I-270 has barreled along without legislative oversight. Requests for information, such as sharing the source data of their transit models, have been rejected.  

How You Can Be Part of the Legislative Process
Because the legislative process is long and involved, there are lots of opportunities for all of us to take part. That means keeping informed and speaking out.  Dontwiden270.org will be posting information about pending bills and how you can help influence their passage.

To be effective citizen advocates opposing this expensive boondoggle that will not relieve traffic congestion, we need to understand how Maryland’s legislative process works.  

An in-depth description of the Maryland State Legislature can be found at Your State Legislature: an Overview.

Here are the basics

Maryland’s state Legislature is called the General Assembly. It has an upper chamber (Senate) and a lower chamber (House of Delegates). There are 47 population-based legislative districts. The General Assembly meets for 90 days each year, beginning in January. During this time, the legislators act on hundreds of proposed bills. 

The legislative leaders—the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House— hold two of the most powerful positions in State Government. They assign legislation to committees and appoint committee members. 

Much of the work takes place in the committees and their subcommittees, including several of particular interest to Dontwiden270.org:  

Learn more about how bills become laws in Maryland at Your State Legislature: an Overview.   

Update: MDOT Road Show raises new questions 

The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) held its annual meeting  on November 4 to present its six-year budget for transportation projects and programs to Montgomery County legislators. MoCo state delegates, senators, and county officials peppered the agency with questions about MDOT's $11 billion plan to expand I-495/I-270 for Luxury Lanes and its decision to nix mass transit in the state's six-year consolidated transportation plan.

For more information about the meeting, read the Citizens Against Beltway (CABE) review on the CABE Connection tab of Dontwiden270.org. This review includes important information on MDOT’s refusal to provide the public with the “origin and destination” data it's using to make decisions on its plan to expand the Beltway and I-270.

More November 4 MDOT road show coverage:

Be Seen.  Be Heard.  Spread the Word:  MDOT Road Show on November 4th

The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) meets with each county every year to present their Consolidated Transportation Program  (CTP), Maryland's six-year budget for transportation projects and programs.

This public hearing, also known as the “MDOT Road Show,” allows county officials and Montgomery County’s state delegation to comment on the proposed budget, including the $11+ billion project for for-profit tollways on I-495 and I-270. 

  • When: Monday, November 4 at 7:00 p.m.

  • Where: County Office Building, Third Floor Hearing Room, 100 Maryland Avenue, Rockville. Parking information.

Public attendance proves we oppose the proposed plan. Show up and bring someone with you. Make a protest sign and display it prominently during the meeting. It’s how we make a statement when we cannot ask questions or testify.

Sample signs can be found at https://dontwiden270.org/resources or design your own. [Note” protest signs must be 8 ½” x 11” or smaller.] 
 

Montgomery County Executive Promotes Reversible Lanes on I-270 

I-270 is a “time-constrained” highway. Traffic is greatest going south during the morning rush hour and then north in the afternoon, with minimal traffic in the opposite directions. This is an ideal situation for reversible lanes, in which lanes switch direction to reduce congestion during peak commuting hours. 

Montgomery County Executive, Marc Elrich, has been actively pushing for the state to configure reversible lanes down I-270 as a faster and less expensive way for traffic relief. He backed this approach at the October 25th upcounty town hall.   

Additionally, a statement supporting continued evaluation of reversible lanes for all of I-270 was included in an October 23rd letter from Mr. Elrich to MDOT Secretary Pete Rahn. The letter was co-signed by 8 of the 9 county council members.

Mr. Elrich elaborated on a variety of transportation-related issues in an interview with Bethesda Magazine. Read his response to questions about highways, tolls, transit and other transportation projects of relevance to Montgomery County.

 

Check out New Features on the Dontwiden270.org: 

  • En Español: This section has Spanish versions of key Dontwiden270 documents, such as background information and facts about Governor Hogan’s plan to add four managed toll lanes on I-270. Share this information with Spanish-speaking residents of Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.

  • CABE Connection: Citizens Against Beltway Expansion (CABE) partners with Dontwiden270.org to oppose widening the Beltway and I-270 for privately owned for-profit toll lanes. Their website posts articles that are also meaningful for those in the I-270 corridor. Read more about the following on the CABE Connection:

    • “Will Trucks Use Beltway Luxury Lanes?” Most truckers opt for the free lanes because tolls come out of their bottom lines.

    • “$11 billion P3 Toll Lane Plan Hits Political Headwinds, Slipping Suburban Support” Opposition to widening I-495 and I-270 for Luxury Lanes rose to more than half of Montgomery and Prince Georges County residents surveyed in October.


    • “MDOT Interview Echoes Documentary on Texas P3 Bankruptcy” Texas highway officials promised traffic relief at no cost to taxpayers. In fact, the private investors were only responsible for 15% of the total project cost when the public private partnership went bankrupt in 2017.

  • Partner Organizations: Dontwiden270.org partners with other civic organizations to fight Governor Hogan’s highway expansion boondoggle. Check out their websites and sign on to their mailing lists.