“The proposed Intercounty Connector (ICC) alignment is a $3 billion boondoggle. It is a completely unbalanced approach to transportation, which limits our options for dealing with congestion,” said Audubon Naturalist Society’s Brian Henry. “The State Highway Administration’s study clearly shows this alignment adds cars to the Beltway. What is the community benefit of spending $3 billion to add traffic to the most heavily traveled highways in the region?”
ICC opponents noted that the alignment selected by state officials fails to reduce congestion on I-270 and I-95. “If this project moves forward, not only would much needed transportation improvements across the state be delayed for years, but we’d be paying for a toll-highway which does nothing for the most heavily traveled roads in the Washington region. Is it fair to ask every Maryland household to cough up $1,417 for the ICC which does so little?” said Laura Olsen, Assistant Director at the Coalition for Smarter Growth.
“From the beginning the Ehrlich administration has not been fair with the public. They’ve willfully excluded viable options which provide a more balanced approach to addressing congestion problems. Failing to stack the ICC up against these choices is simply unfair,” said Henry.
Many believe there’s still a long way to go before definitive action happens on the ICC. “There’s still a lot of time to take an honest look at options which provide greater benefits for families in the region,” said Henry.
“You’ve got the Ehrlich administration cutting commuter bus routes in Baltimore to save $5 million, while the ICC is threatening to eat up $3 billion. It’s time to stop the ICC boondoggle and put that money into projects that really help people,” said Henry. “According to the state’s figures millions of drivers everyday on major commuter routes throughout the region would see no benefit if an ICC is built. It is not fair to spend $3 billion while leaving the majority of drivers hanging out to dry.”
Critics are calling this the perfect time to re-evaluate whether an ICC is needed. Leading environmental and smart growth groups in the region commissioned a study by a professional traffic modeling agency to stack the ICC up against cheaper, more environmentally friendly options that give people more transportation choices. On a range of measures including time spent in congestion, average trip length, vehicle travel on local roads and highways, and air pollution, alternatives performed better than an ICC.
“These options have been studied by Montgomery County officials, and in past state studies of the ICC, with positive results. We want to invest in transportation choices that meet people’s needs. The study lays out a plan to get there, without an ICC, for less money,” said Henry. The study, “Intercounty Connector: Performance and Alternatives,” can be viewed at www.SaveCommunities.org, including comments by peer reviewers.
