Greenbelt has much at stake in Governor Hogan’s plan to add additional lanes to the Beltway and I-270. On July 17, the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) held a public workshop at Eleanor Roosevelt High School about the 15 proposed alternatives for dealing with traffic congestion. Twelve of the alternatives would expand these highways and six would add privately operated toll lanes to pay for the expansion. About 70 people attended the workshop, which included a slide presentation, poster displays and breakout tables. In the fall and winter of 2018, MDOT will pare down the alternatives to the ones it deems viable and draft an Environmental Impact Statement.
MDOT presented its I-495 and I-270 P3 (Public-Private Partnership) Traffic Relief Plan as a balanced approach that includes robust spending for mass transit as well as for highways. Construction of the Purple Line costs $5.6 billion and this year’s funding to fix the Metro cost $1.5 billion. MDOT stressed that severe congestion on I-270 lasts seven hours each day and 10 hours each day on I-495. The Traffic Relief Plan seeks ways to deal with current congestion and long-term traffic growth, trip reliability, greater roadway travel choices, accommodation for homeland security and improved movement of goods and services.
The Greenbelt City Council and the Four Cities Coalition have notified the Office of the Governor about their opposition to the project (News Review, May 10, 2018). Workshop participants shared their concerns that adding lanes to I-495 and I-270 will require hundreds of homes, trees and even a large hospital adjacent to the existing highway to be demolished.
Read more of this story in the July 26 News Review.
