Gov. Larry Hogan is pushing an ambitious and expensive highway project to relieve traffic in the Washington suburbs by enlisting a private company to build and manage toll lanes on the Capital Beltway and Interstate 270.
The case for Hogan’s $11 billion plan has won some support among the region’s commuters. By having a private company take on the project, Hogan’s transportation officials say, Maryland will get sorely needed traffic relief without having to pay for it with taxpayer dollars.
But as the project nears a key vote Wednesday by the Maryland Board of Public Works, some residents and elected officials in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties are questioning the wisdom of adding lanes to reduce congestion and complaining the state hasn’t listened to their feedback. They suggest that the state didn’t evaluate all its options — such as making more modest road improvements or expanding transit — and instead is stuck on adding toll lanes.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Pamela Wood over at the Baltimore Sun