For Immediate Release: Friday, February 24, 2012
ROCKVILLE, Md., Feb. 24, 2012—Montgomery County Councilmember George Leventhal on Monday, Feb. 27, will join regional leaders in a forum that will focus on progress being made to bring three major transportation projects to Montgomery County. The forum, co-sponsored by the Suburban Maryland Transportation Alliance and Purple Line Now, will discuss the planned Purple Line, the Corridor Cities Transitway (CCT) and the additional of more lanes for I-270.
The forum will be held from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. at the Gaithersburg Marriott at Rio. The forum is open to the public.
The Suburban Maryland Transportation Alliance has been organizing a series of forums across the region in an attempt update progress on the projects and to ensure that moment continues on all three.
“I am personally reminded of the declining state of our transportation system every day when I drive down Piney Branch Road to get to my home in Takoma Park,” said Councilmember Leventhal. “The street will finally be repaved sometime this spring, but it has been in desperate need of rehabilitation for several years now. The inability to repair this road in a reasonable period of time is a small window into depth of the problems we face in meeting our transportation needs not only in Montgomery County, but across the State of Maryland.
“Our infrastructure needs range from the most basic projects such as maintaining current roads to building new transportation systems like the Purple Line and Corridor Cities Transitway, which will actually alleviate congestion and spur economic development. Many, if not most of the projects, are ready to be built, but they can only move forward with funding.”
At the forum, Councilmember Leventhal will join SMTA Chairman Doug Duncan and a panel of transportation experts, community advocates and key officials for a fast-paced discussion of the area’s most critical transportation needs. The forum also will discuss pending legislation to boost transportation funding.
The forum will address the top priority projects in Montgomery County, the state of transportation funding available to pay for any of them and the need for immediate action to increase transportation funding so the benefits of these investments—both in terms of transportation metrics and economic benefits—will become realities.
For more information about the forum, go to the SMTA web site at www.mdtransportation.org .
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