The little engine that could (whine a lot)
Adam Pagnucco at Maryland Politics Watch is building up a head of steam for his apparent argument that the rest of the state owes Montgomery County $4.6 billion to turn Interstate 270 into the gazillion-lane Maryland Sprawlway.
The theme is that Montgomery County is the "economic engine of the state" and deserves to remain so forever. It appears that if the Baltimore region, Prince George's, Southern Maryland and the Eastern Shore don't give Montgomery what it wants (even though it's dubious that all of Montgomery wants it), the entire population of the county will decamp across the Potomac and leave nothing but scorched earth from Takoma Park to Germantown.
"This engine is wearing down. And if it breaks, the state will stop moving," Pagnucco wails.
Uh, Adam, is the federal government going to move to Yucca Mountain, Nevada, if I-270 isn't widened? Don't think so.
Maryland has been flying far too long on a single economic engine. It will fly a lot smoother and straighter if it had one on each wing. Let me suggest that growth be rechanneled toward Interstate 95, where much more of the state can reach the jobs. Montgomery's been pulling too much of the weight for too long. It behooves the rest of the state to give it a break from the arduous task of creating wealth and to absorb some of that traffic stuck in the growth-saturated I-270 corridor.
I can't wait to read Pagnuco's Part 2. The more these Montgomery folks lecture us about their indispensibility, the sooner we'll decide to decommission I-270 and turn it into a hiker-biker trail.
Comments
If they are interested in sustaining an economic engine, they should use the money for a dramatic improvement in public transit. Expanding a freeway and waiting for induced demand to strike yet again is absurd and unforgivable.
Posted by: Jed | August 19, 2009 9:49 PM
Dresser, I'm going to take the high road here, but I think you are not informed as you should be on this project. Let's look at the facts: 1. The project in question would extend from Rockville past Frederick. A sizable chunk of the work would benefit people who live in Washington and Frederick counties who commute to Montgomery County during the week. This is not strictly a Montgomery project
2. SHA studies have looked at combination of extra lanes and mass transit - light rail and bus rapid transit.
Please get informed about the study for the work the politicians are now debating:
http://www.marylandroads.com/WebProjectLifeCycle/FR192_11/htdocs/Documents/Newsletters/Winter%202009%20I-270%20US15.pdf
Leave your Baltimore-centric bias at the door when you post stuff about Maryland tax dollars.
Posted by: i270 | August 20, 2009 11:07 PM
I agree. Who cares about I-270? If you're going to throw money at a highway, let it be I-95. As a former DC Metro resident who moved to Baltimore 10 years ago, I have absolutely no intention of ever moving back, I don't care how much money they pay me. The stress of living in that area is simply not worth it. It wouldn't surprise me if a lot of people in that area feel the same way. Besides, Montgomery County residents are rich enough to pay for their own roads. Let 'em.
Posted by: DoesNotMatter | August 21, 2009 1:38 PM
The fact is, this is a bad project no matter where it is. It would be a bad project if it was widening I-83 north of Baltimore and it's not a good one in Montgomery County.
The Baltimore region and our legislators should actively support funding for the Purple Line and the CCT BRT, but not for road widening that will just encourage more suburban sprawl, resulting in more congested highways.
Posted by: Patrick | August 24, 2009 4:05 PM