Maryland Governor Wes Moore has announced plans to widen the Metropolitan Ring Road, add toll lanes and rebuild the American Legion Bridge without the public-private partnership planned by the previous administration.
Moore said the administration will apply for billions of dollars in federal grants to get the project off the ground.
“Providing the American Legion Bridge and Interstate 270 with a long-desired, equitable transportation solution will remove barriers to employment and bring more people in-demand,” Moore said in a statement. It is extremely important in terms of connecting jobs and revitalizing the local economy.”
The governor’s plan calls for rebuilding the American Legion Bridge first. Later, as the ring road widens, administrative or toll lanes will be extended from the bridge to the Interstate 270 branch. Those managed lanes and paid lanes will come later.
The civil union says it will fight at every step.
“We are going to fight to the death, and there are a lot of people who do,” said Barbara Couffal, a citizen opposed to the ring road widening.
She said she had some success thwarting the plan during the administration of former Governor Larry Hogan and will continue to work to find a better way.
“We had hoped that Governor Moore would back out of the Hogan Plan and consider alternatives because widening the ring road and Interstate 270 would not solve congestion. , because the state’s own research shows that it only shifts the bottleneck,” Couffal said.
Montgomery County Commissioner Mark Elrich issued a statement praising the governor’s plan to focus on bridges first, but added that local voices need to be heard.
“I am encouraged by the Moore Administration and MDOT’s recognition that community engagement is fundamental to the success of this project. I’m optimistic that we can do without giving,” he said.
The governor’s statement includes plans to listen to residents’ concerns at open houses in Montgomery and Frederick counties this fall and winter.
Virginia is already working to extend the ring road to the bridge. Construction has been going on for months.
