by Kristina Bostick
Update: Maryland's new transportation secretary, Pete Rahn, citing no existing corridor to support project and environmental and community concerns, says nope to bridge any time soon in a WAMU interview.
MCA and our partners at Sugarloaf Citizens' Association (SCA) visited our representatives in Annapolis prior to the radio broadcast and confirmation of Sec. Rahn. Our message: Montgomery County needs a protected Ag Reserve, properly maintained existing road/bridge infrastructure and transit - not a bridge/highway boondoggle that will not alleviate traffic and will destroy farmland and established communities. Pictured: Caroline Taylor, MCA, Senator Brian Feldman, Beth Daley, SCA and Jim Brown, SCA. Many thanks to Senator Feldman for his sage counsel.
The Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance has renewed calls for an outer beltway and bridge crossing- bisecting the Ag Reserve and adding more traffic and sprawl. Here is their latest map of possible options. Their new campaign is called "What if we could get Northern Virginia Un-Stuck?" We have wondered the same thing- what will it take for Virginia's leaders to get "un-stuck" from this antiquated and ineffective notion of abating traffic by adding more and more roads?"
It is different when you go across the river into Maryland. It's their rural area. They have a different view of their land planning, but in terms of mobility and traffic, we will try to continue that study so in the future we will at least have that down as political realities may change in the future."- new VDOT Secretary Aubrey Layne (on WAMU 2/10/14)
Earlier:
A new effort to re-re-re-re study the Potomac Bridge crossing has cropped up across the river in Virginia. As WAMU reports, although an effort to yet again study the bridge stalled in the VA legislature- the Governor is looking at using 6 year transportation funds to fund the study. As the piece notes, re-studying a repeatedly shelved project with funds that could be easing traffic congestion in other ways is a questionable use of taxpayer money to say the least.
On our side of the river, MDOT has recently told Virginia in no uncertain terms that Maryland is not interested in re-opening a study. As Secretary Layne's quote and the map above show- the two states "have a different view of land planning," in that Montgomery plans and Virginia- does not seem to. 30 years on, Montgomery County's Ag Reserve is not a "political reality that may change in the future" but the stable result of courageous land planning and a commitment to ease congestion with proven methods like more transit options, instead of re-studying a bridge that has been shown time and time and time again to bisect communities on both sides of the river and only cause more of the congestion it seeks to fix at a huge cost to both the residents of both states. In other words- a spectacularly bad idea.
MCA got started in 2001 to battle back the first attempt at a bridge and we will remain vigilant against any attempts to re-study or build this ill-conceived project. Are you with us?
MCA and our partners at Sugarloaf Citizens' Association (SCA) visited our representatives in Annapolis prior to the radio broadcast and confirmation of Sec. Rahn. Our message: Montgomery County needs a protected Ag Reserve, properly maintained existing road/bridge infrastructure and transit - not a bridge/highway boondoggle that will not alleviate traffic and will destroy farmland and established communities. Pictured: Caroline Taylor, MCA, Senator Brian Feldman, Beth Daley, SCA and Jim Brown, SCA. Many thanks to Senator Feldman for his sage counsel.
The Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance has renewed calls for an outer beltway and bridge crossing- bisecting the Ag Reserve and adding more traffic and sprawl. Here is their latest map of possible options. Their new campaign is called "What if we could get Northern Virginia Un-Stuck?" We have wondered the same thing- what will it take for Virginia's leaders to get "un-stuck" from this antiquated and ineffective notion of abating traffic by adding more and more roads?"
It is different when you go across the river into Maryland. It's their rural area. They have a different view of their land planning, but in terms of mobility and traffic, we will try to continue that study so in the future we will at least have that down as political realities may change in the future."- new VDOT Secretary Aubrey Layne (on WAMU 2/10/14)
Earlier:
A new effort to re-re-re-re study the Potomac Bridge crossing has cropped up across the river in Virginia. As WAMU reports, although an effort to yet again study the bridge stalled in the VA legislature- the Governor is looking at using 6 year transportation funds to fund the study. As the piece notes, re-studying a repeatedly shelved project with funds that could be easing traffic congestion in other ways is a questionable use of taxpayer money to say the least.
On our side of the river, MDOT has recently told Virginia in no uncertain terms that Maryland is not interested in re-opening a study. As Secretary Layne's quote and the map above show- the two states "have a different view of land planning," in that Montgomery plans and Virginia- does not seem to. 30 years on, Montgomery County's Ag Reserve is not a "political reality that may change in the future" but the stable result of courageous land planning and a commitment to ease congestion with proven methods like more transit options, instead of re-studying a bridge that has been shown time and time and time again to bisect communities on both sides of the river and only cause more of the congestion it seeks to fix at a huge cost to both the residents of both states. In other words- a spectacularly bad idea.
MCA got started in 2001 to battle back the first attempt at a bridge and we will remain vigilant against any attempts to re-study or build this ill-conceived project. Are you with us?
