Big Highway Widening Plan Faces Public Scrutiny in Maryland

First proposed in 2019, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan's highway widening plan has been trimmed everywhere but the bottom line.

1 minute read

September 10, 2020, 6:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell

Maryland Department of Transportation / I-495/I-270 Managed Lanes Project

The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for a plan to widen highways in the state of Maryland has been subject to public scrutiny this summer, reports Bruce DePuyt, as the plan evolves since first proposed by Gov. Larry Hogan in 2017.

The plan has received some significant revisions since 2017, as noted by DePuyt, including cutting back on the number of miles that would be widened:

The widening of the Beltway from the Prince George’s-Montgomery border south to MD 5 has been put off into the indefinite future.
The widening of I-270 north of I-370 has been deferred.

Despite all the changes (more are listed in the source article), the price on the project hasn't budged, which has opened the plan to criticism.

For more information on the details of the proposed highway widening program, DePuyt reported the news of the first release of the 18,000-page DEIS back in August. Planetizen also picked up news of the release of the DEIS to the public in July.

FULL STORY: As Hogan’s Highway-Widening Plan Changes, $9 Billion Price Tag Does Not

Tuesday, September 1, 2020 in Maryland Matters

Infrastructure Transportation Maryland Governor Larry Hogan Highway Widening Transportation Planning I-495 and I-270 P3 Program I-495/I-270 Managed Lanes Project I-495 & I-270 Managed Lanes Study View More

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