Secret State Drawings Undercut Hogan Promise
That Lexus Lanes Will Spare Nearby Homes
Cross-Sections Leave No Room For Noise Walls
Press release issued October 4, 2018
The State Highway Administration's secret drawings of a wider Beltway and I-270 leave no room for noise walls, a new email from local planners reveals. They also do not show how much right-of-way will be needed to deal with stormwater and slopes.
An October 2 email from the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission states that the drawings “do not take into account the slopes, the storm water management treatments or noise walls, if any of those treatments are required.” The email responded to the Action Committee for Transit's request under the Maryland Public Information Act for copies of the drawings.
“This revelation makes a mockery of recent promises that Beltway widening won't tear down houses," said Brad German of the Citizens Against Beltway Expansion. “It's basic geometry. A 12-lane highway takes up more space than an 8-lane highway, and the only way to get that space is to take it from the neighborhoods.” CABE is holding a fundraiser tonight at 7:00 at the National Seminary Ballroom in Silver Spring.
The M-NCPPC email also revealed that the state will need to widen the right-of-way distances around the highways, contrary to State Highway Administration assertions about staying within the existing right of way. According to the M-NCPCC email, “The relative change to the right-of-way as shown for each alternative is based on a typical cross-section 12-foot lane width that does not translate into the likely width needed for expansion.”
“It seems that Governor Hogan has been peddling false promises and keeping secrets about his highway widening proposal,” said Peter Altman, Rockville resident and DontWiden270.org founder. “Hogan’s Highway Administration is, contrary to their public statements, looking at options to increase the right-of-way width. They produced secret drawings of options for Hogan’s highway proposal which understate how much room would be needed for additional lanes. If the Governor is serious about protecting every single home, he’ll issue binding directives to his Highway Administration to reject any proposal that involves use of eminent domain and tearing down homes. Otherwise, he’s just pulling a big con job on Montgomery County voters.”
“This makes it more urgent than ever to let the public see these undisclosed drawings,” commented Jennifer Guzman Hosey of ACT. “We need to know what these Lexus Lanes will do to our communities.”