This bill could STOP the toll plan and be a catalyst for REAL congestion relief

“Why in the world shouldn’t the two biggest counties in the state have a say over a toll road that would affect two million residents?” That excellent question came from Tom Hucker, VP of the Montgomery County Council, testifying in favor of the county consent bill, SB229. 

Advocates testifying at Wednesday’s Senate Finance Committee hearing showed why this bill (and its counterpart in the House, HB292) is our best hope this session for affecting significant changes to the I-270/I-495 plan.

The bill would spur real congestion relief by requiring the state to engage the counties in genuine collaboration on a corridor-wide mobility strategy. The focus would be on multimodal solutions, instead of exclusively on paving more lanes of highway so international for-profits can collect tolls on Maryland’s interstates.

Finance Committee members agreed that the counties need a say. But some raised concerns the bill would lead to widespread county vetoes of road projects. That’s wrong. This bill would not make it impossible to build toll roads. It would only stop bad projects that can’t stand the light of day – projects like the I-270/I-495 toll lanes.

The I-270/I-495 toll lane project is Exhibit A for why the General Assembly needs to enact the county consent bill, SB229 and HB292, and protect the public interest from another $11 billion disaster like this one.

Here’s what you need to know:

• The City of Rockville’s powerful testimony in favor of SB229 captures the frustration and desperation of local officials with no say in a decision they know will cause harm. “The project will abut 9 neighborhoods and traverse the heart of our great city…”
  
  Read the City's entire testimony for ideas you can use in emails to your senator, representatives, and Kumar Barve, Chair of the House Environment and Transportation Committee.
  

• The hearing for HB292 is Feb. 13 in the House Environment and Transportation Committee. Chair Barve (D-17) last year kept the county consent bill locked in his committee. This year the bill already has the backing of 54 Delegates.
  

• The Environment and Transportation Committee also holds a hearing Feb. 11 on HB 299, “Prohibiting a State agency or its designee from acquiring residential real property for a public-private partnership project that includes the addition of toll lanes to I-495 or I-270.”

Actions to Take Now

• Watch the Senate Finance Committee hearing on SB229 (timestamp 2:07) to hear the strong arguments for the bill and the weak objections.
  

• Write or call Chair Barve ahead of the Feb. 13 hearing on HB292. This is an action item for everyone, but especially people in Del. Barve’s own D-17, which includes all of the City of Rockville and City of Gaithersburg. Tell him to report the bill out of committee so it can be voted on. His contact information is here.
  

• Come to Annapolis on Feb. 13. A strong turnout of constituents at the hearing will send a clear message to Chair Barve, members of his committee, and delegates not yet on record supporting the bill. The hearing is at 1 PM in Room 250, House Office Building. 
  

• Contact your own delegates and senators and urge them to support SB 229 and HB292. For help identifying members of your delegation, expand the view on this map and locate your district.
  

• Join Citizens Against Beltway Expansion’s Lobby Day in Annapolis on Feb. 11.
  

• Read this excellent article by Tracy Loh on the deceptive arguments made by the Governor, MDOT, and the Washington Post.

Quick Update: Annapolis!

The future of the critically important “county consent” bill is at stake in two fast-approaching Annapolis hearings. Senate Bill 229 and its counterpart House Bill 292 would require the State to get approval from the majority of affected counties before constructing a toll road, bridge, or tunnel.

Here’s what you need to know

• Just announced: The Senate Finance Committee hearing for SB229 is this Wednesday, Jan. 29 (yes, that soon). Last year, the county consent bill never made it out of committee. This year, the committee has a new chair and the bill has much stronger support among Senators.
  

• The hearing for HB292 is on Feb. 13 in the House Environment and Transportation Committee. The committee is chaired by Kumar Barve (D-17), who last year kept the county consent bill locked in his committee. The bill already has the backing of 54 Delegates. The key is convincing Chair Barve.
  

• The Washington Post just published a fact-challenged editorial opposing the county consent bills. Ben Ross, chair of the Maryland Transit Opportunities Coalition, said, “The county consent bill for toll roads has got our opponents scared!” Read and share Ben’s expert rebuttal.

Actions to take now

• If you live in D-17, write or call Chair Kumar Barve ahead of the Feb. 13 hearing on HB292. Tell him to report the bill out of committee so it can be voted on. His contact information is here.
  

• Come to Annapolis on Feb. 13, especially if you live in D-17. A strong turnout of constituents at the hearing will send a clear message to Chair Barve. Look for specifics about time and place in coming newsletters.
  

• Contact your Senator before the Jan. 29 hearing on SB229 and tell them to support the county consent bill.

• Read The Myth of 73 Hours about MDOT’s mistaken estimates of how much time the proposed toll lanes would save commuters.

The good news first...and there IS good news

Yes, Governor Hogan got the go-ahead to start the contracting process for his disastrous toll-lane scheme, thanks to Peter Franchot’s ‘yes’ vote at the Jan. 8 Board of Public Works meeting.

But grassroots activism has had unbelievable success so far shrinking the scope of the project. A lot more can and will happen between now and the final vote, scheduled for mid-2021.

Here’s the good news:

• A strong coalition of environmental, transit, civic, community, and activist organizations, including DontWiden270.org, is ramping up the fight for smarter, better alternatives to Hogan’s plan. 
  

• Our allies in the State Legislature are introducing bills that could stop this toll lane project and fix the process that enabled it in the first place.
  

• The Rockville Mayor and Council have strongly opposed Hogan’s plan. The City owns two bridges over I-270, which may give the City leverage in its dealings with the State and County.
  

• DontWiden270.org is expanding its outreach to Upper I-270 communities as part of our efforts for fair, effective multi-modal transportation for all. 
  

• You can take action now!

What does the Jan. 8 vote mean?
The Board of Public Works advanced to the bidding stage “Phase 1” of the Governor’s toll lane plan. Phase 1 would add privately built and managed toll lanes on I-495 from south of the George Washington Memorial Parkway to I-270, and along I-270 from I-495 to I-370.

The Board of Public Works vote on a final contract is not scheduled until mid-2021. MDOT says no homes will be taken along I-270, although some “strips” of property may be needed. MDOT’s current materials do not specify when construction might begin or when, if ever, Upper I-270 will be addressed.

An enormous array of elected officials, transit and environmental experts, watchdog organizations inside and outside of federal, state, and local government, and civic and advocacy organizations believe this plan will result in increased congestion, environmental harm, fiscal risk to taxpayers statewide, and the economic injustice that comes with unaffordable tolls.

Effort Turns to the State Legislature  

Momentum is clearly building in the State Legislature to protect taxpayers, communities, and the environment from disastrous projects like the one the Governor is proposing.

• Senator Susan Lee (16-Montgomery) is sponsoring Senate Bill 229, to “expand to all counties…a prohibition on State agencies constructing…a toll road, toll highway, or toll bridge without the consent of a majority of the affected counties.” Such “county consent” protection already exists for the nine counties on the Eastern Shore.
  

• The House of Delegates version of the county consent bill will be introduced shortly by Delegate Mary Lehman (21-Prince George’s). Like the Senate bill, it has significant support.
  

• Delegate Jared Solomon (D-18) is reintroducing a House-passed Public-Private Partnership (P3) reform bill from last year (it died in the Senate) that would require more transparency, accountability, and collaboration with elected officials. 

DontWiden270.org’s Expanded Scope

Our name may be DontWiden270.org (a legacy from our earliest days) but we are decidedly a “Do” not a “Don’t” organization. 

• We support fair, effective multi-modal transportation backed by evidence that it will actually work. 
  

• We support reversible lanes on I-270, not high-priced toll lanes.
  

• We support improved transit, including expanded MARC service and the Corridor Cities Transitway,
  

• We support addressing the Upper I-270 bottleneck first. Upper I-270 will be particularly hard-hit by the plan just greenlighted by Hogan and Franchot.

DontWiden270.org spoke about the impact on Upper 270 and more at the Jan. 8 Board of Public Works meeting. Watch our testimony from the Jan. 8 meeting; go to time-stamp 1:46.

It’s worth watching, if just to see Hogan and Franchot’s expressions on the split screen as they listen. To watch all the BPW meetings this year, check out their video archive.

Actions to Take Now

Speak up to our state legislators, and stay informed.

• Tell Delegate Kumar Barve (D-17), chair of the House Environment and Transportation Committee, to report both the county consent bill and the P3 reform bill out of his committee so they can be voted on.
  
  We can’t let him keep those bills bottled up. Contact Kumar Barve now.

• Read Delegate Marc Korman’s quick take on the history, current status, and future of transportation in Maryland. Korman is Chair of the Transportation and Environment Subcommittee of the House of Delegates Appropriations Committee.

Get your friends and neighbors to join our e-mail list

This is a great way for them to stay current on what’s happening with the highway project and to learn how they can help fight this boondoggle. Go to https://dontwiden270.org/get-involved to sign up. And check out our website dontwiden270.org for more information. We even have a Spanish language section with translations of key documents. 

Have a Question or Comment? Want a speaker for your community?

E-mail us at contactdontwiden270@gmail.com .

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