Press Releases

Montgomery County Executive and Council reiterate support for MD-200 Diversion Alternative for I-495 and I-270 congestion relief

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Joint letter on the Managed Lanes Study Draft Environmental Impact Statement also identifies deficiencies in analyses and calls for enhanced transparency in the process

ROCKVILLE, Md., Nov. 10, 2020—On Monday the County Executive and Council sent a joint letter about the I-495 and I-270 Managed Lanes Study Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) to the Maryland Department of Transportation raising ongoing concerns with their analyses and reaffirming the County's support for the MD-200 Diversion Alternative as its preferred alternative for reducing congestion on the eastern portion of I-495, while supporting managed lanes on I-270 and the western portion of I-495, where the existing right-of-way is much wider.

The DEIS includes traffic, environmental, engineering and financial analyses of the build alternatives and the no build alternatives. Some of the concerns detailed in the letter include: insufficient alternatives analyses; the impacts on natural resources, adjacent property and parkland; uncertainty about the transportation impacts and the benefits of the project; changing travel patterns; and environmental impacts and mitigation measures. The letter also raises significant concerns about the proposed public-private partnership (P3) model and the financial viability of the proposal. The joint letter can be viewed here.

“We all agree that congestion issues on I-495, I-270 and nearby roadways need attention and improvement; however, we have serious and widespread concerns with the plan that is currently under consideration. The recommendations that we have put forward provide the state with some very effective solutions that should be considered and ultimately adopted,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “They address the concerns raised by the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) as well as the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Transportation Planning Board (MWCOG/TPB) and provide the state with an opportunity to include input from the people who will be directly affected by this project.”

“What the state has presented thus far is inadequate,” said Council President Sidney Katz. “We are calling for them to go back and reevaluate the alternatives, the environmental impacts and the cost/benefit analysis. Congestion reduction remains a top priority for us but we must be certain that we are accomplishing this in the best way possible.”

“Our county's position on the I-495 and I-270 DEIS is an important roadmap for the state. However, if the state continues to choose to ignore the best consensus opinion of the elected officials, planners and transportation officials of Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, taxpayers will be on the hook for potentially billions of dollars,” said Council Vice President Tom Hucker, who chairs the Transportation and Environment Committee.

“As currently planned, this project has up to $2 billion in unexpected utility costs, enormous negative impacts on our environment and our parklands, and it is unlikely to meaningfully address our changing transportation needs. I urge the State to embrace our roadmap for a more effective and less costly alternative plan to address our transportation challenges.”

###

Release ID: 20-446
Media Contact: Sonya Healy 240-777-7926, David Kunes 240-777-7960