AN ICC DOES NOT RELIEVE TRAFFIC

In 1997 the US Environmental Protection Agency commented that, for a road with such gross environmental and community impacts, it has relatively little effect on traffic congestion. In 2004 that is still the overwhelming impression one gets from reading the new DEIS.

According the state’s 2004 ICC traffic modeling results:

The ICC would increase vehicle miles travled by 18% in the study area, increasing air pollution, energy consumption, and carbon dioxide emissions by undisclosed amounts. The state’s study fails to analyze these environmental impacts.

ICC would ADD TRAFFIC TO THE BELTWAY on the congested links in Montgomery County.

• ICC would reduce the INCREASE in east-west trips on arterials by only about 3 percentage points (27% increase without the ICC, 24% increase with the ICC, on arterials that intersect Georgia Ave.).

• The ICC would add traffic to some links of Shady Grove Road, Route 355, Georgia Avenue, Route 28, Route 198, Connecticut Ave., New Hampshire Ave., Route 29, U.S. 1, I-270 and I-95. (It reduces traffic by a little on other links; the DEIS doesn't tell the bottom line: the total trips or miles of travel on these other major roads.)

• The ICC would reduce the number of failing intersections (Level of Service F) at peak hours by only 3-4 out of 21-22 (depending on whether Corridor 1 or 2, and am or pm peak hour).

• The slight benefits of the ICC would disappear if traffic modeling had properly included the induced growth predicted by the SHA's Land Use Expert Panel, the economic impact study from the University of Maryland, and the Council of Governments' regional growth forecasts.

Furthermore, the state’s study eliminated the competition from other alternatives that also could meet the needs identified. The SHA/FHWA refused to include several alternatives that have performed well in other studies.

Findings from the 1997 State Highway Administration ICC Study:

• "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." (1997 Federal Study on the Intercounty Connector, Volume 3, VI-23)

• "None of the ICC alternatives substantially affects the percent of travel on local roads." (1997 Federal Study on the Intercounty Connector, Volume 3, VI-31)

• Only 5% of the ICC users would go from end to end (1997 Federal Study on the Intercounty Connector, Volume 3, Table VI-16)

The ICC would increase traffic on local roads by 8%

Findings from the 2001 Montgomery County Transportation Policy Report, which compares the ICC to non-highway congestion relief:

One key east-west trips the ICC has little impact.
The ICC would save:

• 2 minutes from Germantown to Olney
• 2 minutes from Gaithersburg to Burtonsville
• 6 minutes from Gaithersburg to BWI Airport