EOPB Action Alerts

OPPOSE Maryland's Push to put ICC into Regional Transportation Plan

2/19/04

For the first time ever, Maryland is proposing to put the ICC into a construction phase in the region's long range transportation plans (the CLRP and TIP). This would be the first outer beltway segment included in the plan as more than a study.

TIMELINE:

Wed, Feb 18: Inclusion of the ICC and other roads will be briefed to the Transportation Planning Board


March 12: Public Comment Period ends at close of business


March 17: TPB will vote on whether to include the ICC in the air quality conformity analysis of the CLRP and TI

ACTIONS:

• Wednesday, Feb 18th: ATTEND TPB MEETING. Best times to attend are 11:30 to 12:30 unless you can stay longer. At 11 am the TPB will hold a Press Conference asking for more transportation funding. Public comment begins at 12 noon (sign-up by 11:50). Meeting goes to 2 pm with ICC briefing as Item 10.


• From now through March 12th: WRITE, EMAIL, FAX the Transportation Planning Board to oppose inclusion of the ICC.


• From now through March 12th: TALK TO TPB MEMBERS that you know to urge them to oppose inclusion of the ICC for air quality conformity and inclusion of the project in the regional plans in June.

TALKING POINTS (cut and paste into your emails) CONTACT INFO AT BOTTOM.

• AIR POLLUTION: Our region has unhealthy air quality and is classified as SEVERE non-attainment. Cars and trucks contribute about 40% of the precursors that form ozone pollution. The ICC will significantly increase vehicle miles traveled and air pollution without reducing existing traffic, and will add to our unhealthy air. In addition, officials in all three states have desperately sought to pay for emissions reduction measures and they did not intend to allow these gains to be destroyed by the addition of this massive road project.

STUDIES NOT COMPLETE: The Draft Environmental Impact Statement has hardly begun and its impacts and costs have not been reanalyzed. This study must be completed before regional officials consider including this massive project into the regional long range plan. As it is, federal agencies objected to the ICC in the last DEIS, and Governor Glendenning cancelled the project because the traffic benefits were minor at best while the financial and environmental cost was huge.
Anywhere in your testimony you can cite the following quote from the last Draft Environmental Impact Statement:

"None of the ICC alternatives will have a substantial impact on the levels of service [congestion] experienced by motorists on the Capital Beltway, I-270 or I-95 within the Study Area.'"(DEIS on the Inter County Connector, Volume 3, VI-23)."


• FUNDING NOT IN PLACE: Federal law requires that the regional long range plan be constrained to projects for which financing is reasonably guaranteed. All the Ehrlich administration has is an "ICC Conceptual Funding Plan - Options." Almost all of the financing mechanisms are speculative. This funding plan is too vague to permit inclusion of the ICC into the CLRP.


• THE WRONG APPROACH FOR THE REGION:
  -- The ICC would not relieve traffic congestion according to the last DEIS. -- It will shift jobs and investment from Prince George's County and DC. Prince George's County Council voted unanimously to oppose the ICC for this reason. -- The Ehrlich administration is attacking transit funding (both long range capital funding and current operating funding for Metro), while proposing to pour $3 billion of state money into the ICC.

OTHER PROJECTS BEING PROPOSED BY MARYLAND:
M-83 Midcounty Highway Extended completion date is moved from 2020 to 2006 MD 118 Extension (Germantown Road) completion date is moved from 2020 to 2006 Father Hurley/Ridge Rd widening completion date is moved from 2020 to 2010 Md 2/4 widening is moved from 2025 to 2015

ELECTED OFFICIAL CONTACT INFORMATION:
Chairman Chris Zimmerman
Chair, Transportation Planning Board
Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments
777 North Capitol Street, N.E., Suite 300
Washington, DC 20002-4290
Email: cogdtp@mwcog.org
Phone: (202) 962-3200
Fax: (202) 962-3202
TTY: (202) 962-3213

TO FIND TPB MEMBERS AND THEIR INDIVIDUAL CONTACT INFO:
http://www.mwcog.org/transportation/tpb/members.asp
Note: We know of at least two corrections to the posted member list. Andy Fellows is the College Park City Council representative; and Ludwig Gaines, not David Speck, is the City of Alexandria representative.