What’s the Latest? A New Website Resource with Answers to Your Questions

In Fall 2017, Governor Hogan announced that a public-private partnership (P3) would add toll lanes to I-495 and I-270.  For communities along I-270, the risks quickly became clear. Early on, the State trotted out a laundry list of alternatives for addressing rush-hour congestion. But it was obvious from the start that the State’s “preferred alternative” was to widen I-270 by adding multiple toll lanes.

The project has been a fiasco from the start. Public opinion is ignored. Environmental Impact Statement findings are glossed over. Planners can’t even pause long enough to consider how the ongoing pandemic might alter commuting patterns well into the future.

At this moment, the first actual contract for the P3 is on the table: the “pre-development” contract. The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) announced they selected Accelerate Maryland Partners, LLC as the Phase Developer for Phase 1, which includes the American Legion Bridge (ALB) and I-270. Accelerate Maryland Partners is a consortium of companies controlled by Transurban, the Australian firm that developed the network of toll lanes in Northern Virginia.

So, 3-plus years into the P3 saga, what do we know? And what don’t we know? How might the P3 affect our homes, our environment, our wallets, and the quality of our lives? 

New to the dontwiden270.org website is a section with questions and answers (Q&A’s)  that will address some of these questions. Please send your questions to contactdontwiden270@gmail.com; we’ll be adding and updating as we get more information.

A few of the questions in the new Q&A section are as follows.  Check the website for the answers to these and other questions.

The I-495 & I-270 P3 Program

• Long ago, we were told that no properties would be taken along I-270 and that most changes would fall within the existing footprint. Is that still the case? 

• MDOT recently announced a “Phase I Developer” to oversee preliminary development work on the American Legion Bridge and I-270. What does that entail? 

• Do our elected representatives in the General Assembly have any role in approving or rejecting this toll-lane contract? 

• What about the courts? Are any lawsuits in the works? 

• How much would the tolls be? How is the toll range determined?

• What is the projected timeline for Phase 1?

Action Item

What can I do to stop the predevelopment project from moving forward?

Right now, you can write to Comptroller Peter Franchot, the deciding vote on the Maryland Board of Public Works (BPW). Please write Comptroller Franchot if you haven't written him yet and write him again if you have previously contacted him.MDOT must obtain approval from the BPW for a contract with the Phase Developer. For the project to move forward, two of the three BPW members must approve the agreement.   

Write Comptroller Franchot at pfranchot@comp.state.md.us and tell him that Maryland taxpayers could be stuck with hundreds of millions of dollars in expenses and future costs. Refer to our February 7 newsletter for more information on financial concerns. Be sure to say that no P3 agreement should be approved by the BPW until the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) is completed.

Please Support our Partner

Our valued partner, the Maryland Transit Opportunities Coalition (MTOC) is a unique center of technical and policy expertise on transit and equitable transportation and provides us with insight to give you accurate information, including answers to the questions on our new Q&A website section. To make a donation of any size, online or by check, follow this link: https://transitformaryland.org/contribute. Thank you!

Rushing to Close 50-Year Deal, MDOT Picks Developer to Add Toll Lanes to I-270. We Still Have Time to Stop It!

On February 18, 2021, the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) announced they selected the private, Australian-based consortium Accelerate Maryland Partners, LLC as the toll-lane project’s Phase 1 Developer. Phase 1 includes I-495 from the George Washington (GW) Parkway in Virginia, across and including the American Legion Bridge to I-270, and I-270 from I-495 to I-70 in Frederick.

As Phase Developer, Accelerate Maryland Partners will oversee the design, financing, construction, and maintenance of the toll lanes for a term of 50 years. It will come up with the actual design for the managed lane project, and the public won’t know the details and commitments until they are announced. The Phase Developer, not MDOT, will be the primary liaison with the public, and will interact and negotiate agreements with affected stakeholders, including the City of Rockville.

Accelerate Maryland Partners, LLC, is a consortium of four firms. The team includes:

• Lead Project Developer/Equity:  Transurban (USA) Operations Inc. and Macquarie Infrastructure.  Transurban is an Australian-owned company operating toll roads in Australia, the United States, and Canada. Macquarie Capital is the principal investment arm of Macquarie Group Limited, an Australian multinational investment bank and financial services company.

• Designers:  Dewberry Engineers, Inc. and Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. Dewberry provides professional engineering services in 17 states and is headquartered in Virginia. Stantec is a Canadian design company with offices worldwide.

• Note: The construction contractor was dropped and no construction contractor has yet been named. That means MDOT moved ahead without knowing anything about the company that will build the toll-lanes!

We will report more information about the Phase Developer and details of their plans as they become available. Recent articles on the selection of the Phase Developer can be found at Dontwiden270.org’s website tab “Media Archives

Action Item 

MDOT must obtain approval from the Maryland Board of Public Works (BPW) for a contract with a Phase Developer to begin pre-development design. For the project to move forward, two of the three BPW members must approve the agreement. Comptroller Peter Franchot is the swing vote.  

Write Comptroller Franchot at pfranchot@comp.state.md.us. Tell him that no P3 agreement should be approved by the BPW until the final environmental impact statement (FEIS) is completed in accordance with NEPA regulations. An FEIS is essential to adequately assess and mitigate impacts to communities and properties, utility conflicts, and environmental consequences, and to develop a design that considers these critical factors. 

As stewards of the State’s finances, the BPW must consider the costs that this project will incur. Governor Hogan promised there would be no net cost to taxpayers for the toll lane project, but MDOT’s own Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Request for Proposals show that’s not true. Tell Comptroller Franchot that Maryland taxpayers could be stuck with hundreds of millions of dollars in expenses and future costs. Refer to our February 7 newsletter for more information on financial concerns.

Please Support our Valued Partner

Some of you, our readers, have offered to help cover our costs, but we are not set up to receive donations. However our valued partner, the Maryland Transit Opportunities Coalition (MTOC), can accept donations. MTOC is a unique center of technical and policy expertise on transit and equitable transportation and provides us with insight to give you accurate information. 

MTOC uses donations to help cover its website expenses, printing of fliers, and more. To make a donation of any size, online or by check, follow this link: https://transitformaryland.org/contribute. Thank you!

Upcoming Meetings 

• Wednesday, February 24 at 9:00 am:
  Virtual rally and press conference on the MDOT Promises Act and P3 Reform bill. This event is happening a few hours before the MDOT Promises Act will be heard in the Senate Budget & Taxation Committee. Dontwiden270.org is a co-sponsor of this rally. Please sign up for the event here.

• Thursday, February 25 at 9:00 am:
  The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) Board is meeting to discuss the P3 agreement. This is an open meeting conducted via livestreaming, and the public can watch. Here's the agenda for the meeting.
  
  

Short Video Worth Watching

Here's a rather vivid VOX video (6 min) showing how highways grow…are we headed for this with I-270?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z7o3sRxA5g

MDOT Races Forward with Plans to Widen I-270

The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) is rushing ahead with its ill-conceived project. 

MDOT is about to seek Maryland Board of Public Works (BPW) approval of a contract for a Phase Developer to begin pre-development design. For the contract to move forward, two of the three BPW members must approve it. Since the project is Governor Hogan’s creation, we know how he will vote. Treasurer Nancy Kopp is likely to vote against it. Comptroller Peter Franchot is the swing vote. 

Action Item 

Write BPW members Comptroller Franchot at pfranchot@comp.state.md.us and Treasurer Kopp at treasurer@treasurer.state.md.us.Tell them that no P3 agreement should be approved by the BPW until the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) is complete.

According to the BPW’s website, their mission is to protect and enhance the State's fiscal integrity by ensuring that significant State expenditures are necessary and appropriate, fiscally responsible, fair, and lawful. 

As stewards of the State’s finances, the three BPW members must consider the costs this project will incur. Governor Hogan promised there would be no net cost to taxpayers for the toll lane project. But Public-Private Partnerships (P3s) are designed to monetize traffic, and they rely on taxpayer subsidies.

Maryland may be stuck with hundreds of millions of dollars in expenses and future outlays. P3s regularly burden taxpayers with high costs, often unexpected.   

• There are huge on-going MDOT-State Highway Administration (MDOT-SHA) expenses and staff costs paid for with taxpayer funds.

• The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) estimated that Alternative 9 (described below), MDOT’s preferred alternative, might require the State to provide a subsidy of up to $482 million to the P3 contractor (refer to DEIS pp. 2-48).

• According to a Washington Post article, “Maryland Could Face Millions in Cost Risks” , the State would be obligated to pay the contractor up to $50 million for ‘pre-development costs’ if the project does not move forward as planned. 

• Taxpayers may have to pay up to $2 billion to move water and sewer lines.

Selection of Preferred Alternative

On Jan. 27, MDOT announced it had selected Alternative 9 from the list of build options. 

Alternative 9 would convert the existing high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes on I-270 to high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes and add one managed lane in each
direction. Vehicles with 3 or more people would be able to travel free of charge, a change from current HOV lane regulations that – during rush hours -- permit travel by vehicles with 2 or more people only.

The conversion of the current HOV lanes to toll lanes would effectively remove one free lane in each direction; the current HOV lanes cost nothing and are restricted to HOV for only a short portion of the day.

The plan would place the toll lanes in the middle of the highway. As reported in a Maryland Matters article, MDOT believes much of the project can be done within I-270’s existing walls. However, what is unknown is how much land will be needed to build off-ramps to connect toll-lane users with local roads.

For more information on the Preferred Alternative, go to the Dontwiden270.org website tab “Media Archives” and click on the articles listed for Jan. 27, 2021.

Dontwiden270.org Testimonies

Dontwiden270.org coordinators and other advocates often provide testimony at legislative meetings and hearings opposing the I-495 & I-270 P3 project. Recently, several individuals spoke at City of Rockville Mayor and Council meetings. Their testimonies informing the Mayor and Council members of current issues about the P3 and widening I-270 can be found at the Dontwiden270.org website tab “Resources.” 

Worth Reading

D.C.-Area Planning Board Slams Hogan Administration Plan for Widening Capital Beltway, I-270, Maryland Matters:

The leaders of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) “slammed the state’s” plan to widen parts of the Capital Beltway and Interstate 270 .

Opinion: Rushing Beltway construction won’t solve Maryland’s congestion problem, Washington Post:

“Among the wasteful highway boondoggles still moving forward…, few would harm local residents’ health more or cause greater, irreversible environmental damage than Maryland’s Capital Beltway project…”

A Rare Request for Donations for a Valued Partner

We often receive e-mails from you, our readers, thanking us for the valuable information in our newsletters. We thank you!

Some of you have offered to help cover our costs, but we are not set up to receive donations. However our valued partner, the Maryland Transit Opportunities Coalition (MTOC), which provides us with technical understanding that enables us to give you accurate information, can take donations. MTOC is an invaluable center of technical and policy expertise on transit and equitable transportation. MTOC uses donations to help cover its website expenses, printing of fliers, and more. If you are able to help them, we would be very grateful. 

To make a donation of any size, online or by check, kindly follow this link: https://transitformaryland.org/contribute. Thank you!

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People who read our newsletters take action, and our elected officials take notice! Help spread the word about what we can do to safeguard our environment and promote healthy, efficient, and fair transportation options.

Tell your friends and neighbors they can join our newsletter e-mail list by going to https://dontwiden270.org/get-involved and checking the "keep me informed" box. Our website is https://dontwiden270.org/.