Concerted Effort By Group Of County Leaders Spreads Misinformation About The Governor’s Traffic Relief Plan
MYTH: Governor Hogan’s Traffic Relief Plan does not receive the support of his constituents.
FACT: A Majority Of Residents In The Washington D.C. Region Support The Governor’s Plan.
MYTH: The Hogan administration rushed the Traffic Relief Plan.
FACT: Governor Hogan Announced His Traffic Relief Plan In September 2017, Over A Year And A Half Ago.
MYTH: The Hogan administration has neglected transit.
FACT: Governor Hogan Has Invested More Money In Transit Than Any Other Governor In State History.
MYTH: The Hogan administration wants to add tolls to existing lanes.
FACT: Under The Governor’s Proposal, No New Tolls Would Be Added To Existing Lanes On The Capital Beltway And I-270.
MYTH: Governor Hogan’s Traffic Relief Plan will cost taxpayers billions of dollars.
FACT: Under Governor Hogan’s Traffic Relief Plan, The State Will Enter Into A Public-Private Partnership With The Private Sector.
MYTH: Governor Hogan’s Traffic Relief Plan will do nothing to ease congestion for drivers.
FACT: The Governor’s Proposal Will Save Drivers Time And Money; Similar Congestion Relief Strategies Have Worked Elsewhere.
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MYTH: Governor Hogan’s Traffic Relief Plan does not receive the support of his constituents.
FACT: A Majority Of Residents In The Washington D.C. Region Support The Governor’s Plan.
- A “Clear Majority” – 61 Percent – Of Washington, D.C. Area Residents Support Governor Hogan’s Traffic Relief Plan. “A clear majority of Washington-area residents favor adding express toll lanes to Interstate 270 and Maryland’s part of the Capital Beltway, a centerpiece of Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s traffic relief plans, according to a Washington Post-Schar School poll… Regionwide, 61 percent of residents endorse Hogan’s (R) proposal to add express lanes with adjustable tolls to the Beltway and I-270 while keeping the existing lanes free.” (Katherine Shaver and Emily Guskin, “Poll: 61 Percent Of D.C.-Area,” The Washington Post, 5/12/19)
MYTH: The Hogan administration rushed the Traffic Relief Plan.
FACT: Governor Hogan Announced His Traffic Relief Plan In September 2017, Over A Year And A Half Ago.
- As Of May 22, 2019, The Hogan Administration Held Nearly 70 Events With Elected Officials And Local Communities, With Thousands Of Attendees. The Hogan Administration Presented The Proposed Program And Solicited Comments From Attendees.
- The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Process Must Be Coordinated With The P3 Proposal For Many Toll Projects; Process Will Result In An Environmental Impact Statement, Which Is Expected To Be Completed In The Fall Of 2020. “For many toll projects, the NEPA process must be coordinated with a separate process in which the state DOT or other public agency reviews competing proposals for a PPP.” (“Managing The NEPA Process For Toll Lanes And Toll Roads,” Center For Environmental Excellence By AASHTO, 8/2016; (“Environmental,” 495-270 P3 Program, Accessed: 5/29/19)
MYTH: The Hogan administration has neglected transit.
FACT: Governor Hogan Has Invested More Money In Transit Than Any Other Governor In State History.
- The Current CTP Invests More Than $14 Billion In Operating And Capital Funds Towards WMATA And Transit – A Record Amount. The current 2019-2024 CTP invests over $14.2 billion in operating and capital funding towards WMATA and the MTA. A total of nearly $5.9 billion in capital funding for WMATA and the MTA is being invested by the Hogan administration, in addition to over $8.3 billion in operating funding. (“Department Of Transportation Operating And Capital Program Summary By Fiscal Year,”Maryland Department Of Transportation, A-18, Accessed: 5/20/19)
MYTH: The Hogan administration wants to add tolls to existing lanes.
FACT: Under The Governor’s Proposal, No New Tolls Would Be Added To Existing Lanes On The Capital Beltway And I-270.
- The Governor’s Proposed Traffic Relief Plan Calls For Adding New Express Lanes, In Addition To The Existing Lanes On The Capital Beltway And I-270. Drivers Will Have The Option To Choose Whether Or Not They Would Like To Use The New Express Lanes. “The P3 will be seeking private developers to design, build, finance, operate, and maintain new lanes on I-495 between the American Legion Bridge and the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and on I-270 between I-495 and I-70. Once completed, the Traffic Relief Plan will deliver new express toll lanes, in addition to existing lanes on I-495, I-270, and MD 295.” (Press Release, “Governor Hogan Announces Widening Of I-270, Capital Beltway (I-495), And Baltimore-Washington Parkway (MD 295),” Office Of The Governor, 9/21/17)
MYTH: Governor Hogan’s Traffic Relief Plan will cost taxpayers billions of dollars.
FACT: Under Governor Hogan’s Traffic Relief Plan, The State Will Enter Into A Public-Private Partnership With The Private Sector.
- The Baltimore Sun: The Governor’s Plan “Won’t Cost Taxpayers Anything.” “Hogan reiterated in an interview Friday that he plans to structure the deals in a way that won’t cost taxpayers anything. Private companies would pay the upfront costs to design, finance and build the toll lanes. Money from the tolls would be split with the state, which would use the funds on the parkway toll lanes.” (Erin Cox and Luke Broadwater, “Under State Law, Opponents To Hogan’s $9B Toll Lane Plan Have Little Recourse,” The Baltimore Sun, 9/22/17)
MYTH: Governor Hogan’s Traffic Relief Plan will do nothing to ease congestion for drivers.
FACT: The Governor’s Proposal Will Save Drivers Time And Money; Similar Congestion Relief Strategies Have Worked Elsewhere.
- The Governor’s Proposed Plan Is Projected To Save Drivers 13 Million Hours Of Travel Time And 2 Million Gallons Of Fuel Annually. The Maryland Statewide Transportation Model shows that adding express toll lanes to I-495 and I-270 will save 13 million hours of travel time and 2 million gallons of fuel every year, which is 107,000 hours of delay savings per day. This translates into $6.23 million per weekday compared to doing nothing and allowing the traffic and congestion to continue to worsen. (Maryland Department Of Transportation)
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[ This article originally appeared here ]