Community associations representing thousands of residents along the route of the proposed Intercounty Connector (ICC) have reaffirmed their strong opposition to the road in the 18 months since the election of the pro-ICC Governor Robert Ehrlich.
Dean Choulas, the board president of the community association at Longmead Crossing , located between Norbeck and Layhill Roads east of Rockville, said there is deep concern “about increased traffic noise and air pollution, not to mention the inconvenience of living through the construction of a major roadway that would ultimately bisect our tranquil community.”
The positions of Longmead and other community associations along the ICC route underline the fact that opposition to the highway is much broader than just the environmental community, said Brian Henry, ICC campaign organizer for the Audubon Naturalist Society.
“The ICC in any form is bad for the region’s quality of life. An ICC would spur more sprawling development, further overcrowd our schools, and create more traffic on local roads. Not only that, at $3 billion including financing costs, an ICC would seriously limit our ability to fund existing road improvements and transit needs across the state for decades to come,” Henry said.
(In a related development, the ICC today was named the most wasteful proposed road project in the United States. The “Road to Ruin” report by the group Taxpayers for Common Sense is available at www.taxpayer.net/road2ruin.)
Residents of Longmead and other communities will attend a rally against the ICC on June 19 in Silver Spring.
The Montgomery County Civic Federation has maintained its longstanding opposition to the ICC. The Greater Shady Grove Civic Alliance, the Greater Olney Civic Alliance, and the Norbeck Meadows Civic Association recently reaffirmed their positions against the ICC.
In addition, the Prince George’s County Council, and the cities of Takoma Park, Greenbelt, and College Park have gone on record against the road. Councilmembers have called the ICC a “Prince George’s By-pass” that will hurt economic development in the county.
Religious Leaders Question ICC
A letter questioning the ICC has been endorsed by the environmental committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, and several ministers and rabbis from Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties.
“Future generations, seeing what we knew as of today, will call us to task for any decisions made which worsened local air pollution, furthered global climate change, and put the survival of both animal and plant species and of humanity’s natural refuges at further risk,“ wrote Rabbi Fred Dobb of Bethesda’s Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation.
“Please take the long view and oppose the ICC while supporting greater mass transit, HOV lanes, bicycle routes, carpooling, and other transportation alternatives,” Dobb’s letter said.
Henry said the diverse coalition aligned against the ICC “shows that once the public knows the facts about this financially wasteful and environmentally harmful road, it will reject the pro-highway spin of the development lobby.”
The approximately 5,000 residents of Longmead Crossing live in single-family homes, townhouses, and condominiums. The community association’s stand against the ICC follows a survey taken by the board of directors during the month of March.
Save Our Communities is the umbrella organization for the community, environmental, and other civic groups opposed to the ICC. For a complete list of endorsees, visit www.SaveCommunities.org.
On June 19, Save Our Communities is sponsoring a rally at the site of the state’s ICC workshop at James Blake High School in Silver Spring.
