Following is the letter organized by Delegate Sheila Hixson (D-20). Interestingly, Delegates Kathleen Dumais (D-15), Craig Rice (D-15), James Gilchrist (D-17), Charles Barkley (D-39) and Kirill Reznik (D-39) also signed a different letter supporting Express Toll Lanes on I-270.
September 8, 2009
The Honorable Martin O’Malley
The State House
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
Dear Governor O’Malley:
Your administration identified an important priority for Maryland by setting the goal of a substantial increase in transit ridership. New transit opportunities can provide important benefits such as improved travel times, revitalized communities and a healthier environment. The Department of Transportation’s current I-270 Corridor Study may offer a valuable opportunity for progress toward the objective of more effective transit.
The I-270 corridor has been a center of both economic growth and traffic congestion, and MDOT is evaluating options for relieving the congestion. To date, all options evaluated in this study have devoted well over two-thirds of projected construction funding to road capacity expansion. A coalition of environmental groups has developed an interesting transit-only alternative, comparable in cost to the proposals studied thus far. It is described in the enclosed letter from the Action Committee for Transit.
The large transportation investments proposed along I-270 will take years to implement, and they will shape the development of the corridor for decades. There is time to decide carefully and wisely. We request that you ask MDOT to add an all-transit alternative to this study. After a complete range of options is evaluated, policy-makers and the public will be able to choose the solutions that are best for our communities, our economy, and our environment.
Sincerely,
Sheila E. Hixson
Chair, Ways and Means Committee
District 20
Anne R. Kaiser
Herman L. Taylor, Jr.
District 14
Kathleen Dumais
Craig Rice
District 15
William A. Bronrott
Susan C. Lee
District 16
James W. Gilchrist
Luiz R. S. Simmons
District 17
Alfred C. Carr, Jr.
Jeffrey D. Waldstreicher
District 18
Henry B. Heller
Roger Manno
District 19
Tom Hucker
Heather R. Mizeur
District 20
Saqib Ali
Charles E. Barkley
Kirill Reznik
District 39