Maryland's Board of Public Works will vote next week on a new version of the plan to build toll lanes on I-270 and the Beltway — and it's even worse than we already know.
Not only would these highways be widened with devastating consequences for nearby neighborhoods, but the $11 billion dollar contracts for this work would be handed out in a secret negotiation process that is an open invitation to favoritism.
State Comptroller Peter Franchot is the crucial swing vote on the 3-member Board of Public Works. Send him an email now at pfranchot@comp.state.md.us and tell him to vote against this new scheme.
Last June, the BPW voted 2-to-1 to begin the toll lane project with I-270. But it soon became clear that this wouldn't work — traffic would back up all the more at the American Legion Bridge.
On November 12, Governor Hogan revealed a new version of the toll lane scheme. The Beltway would be widened at the same time as the section of I-270 south of Shady Grove.
But this requires the BPW to approve the change. What the BPW will vote on was quietly revealed late last Friday afternoon.
Not only does the new version reverse the original 270-first vote, but it alters the procurement process for these giant 50-year contracts:
Everything that matters will be done in secret talks between the bidders and a few state officials.
The contractors will have only one month to write the final proposal for an $11 billion dollar contract.
The firm that wins the contract gets a free hand to pick the construction companies that actually do the work. The state doesn't know who's on the teams when it decides which team is best.
This proposal flies in the face of everything we know about open competition and selection of reliable contractors. It is a threat to the state’s fiscal and economic health for the 50-year length of the project. The state administration wants to use the Thanksgiving holiday to jam this through without an opportunity for meaningful oversight or deliberation.
Comptroller Franchot’s vote will once again be decisive. E-mail him now and tell him to delay consideration until there has been an independent fiscal analysis and the environmental impact statement (EIS) is completed. Write:
The Honorable Peter Franchot, Comptroller of Maryland at pfranchot@comp.state.md.us.
Tell him that this is a license to loot the state treasury. As the state's fiscal watchdog, he has a duty to protect Maryland taxpayers against this threat.
Use these points, or add more to share your thoughts in your own words. Include your home address in the email.
Dontwiden270.org will keep you informed of what else you can do to help.