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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Anthony G. Brown (MD-04) sent a letter to Maryland Governor Larry Hogan calling on the Governor to reconsider his proposal to widen and toll the Capital Beltway. This letter was sent ahead of the Congressman’s town hall on the proposal in Landover, MD on May 23rd, during which he will hear more from his constituents on the plan and the Board of Public Works upcoming vote, scheduled for June 5.

In his letter, Congressman Brown notes that, despite the inclusion of, “general purpose lanes, rail, bus rapid transit and bus-only lanes, and transportation demand management,” in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), the Screened Alternatives being studied for Governor Hogan’s proposed program focus solely on toll lanes and widening highways. In the letter, Congressman Brown rightly asserts that, “decades of traffic data across the United States show that increasing road capacity does not improve traffic.”

The Congressman believes that his, “constituents feel like they have been left out of the discussion and are not being heard.” He underscores that the current proposal runs counter to, “the promises made before the last election,” and that, “dozens of homes and business could be destroyed, and thousands could be negatively impacted." For these reasons, Congressman Brown is calling on the Governor to complete the EIS before moving forward, and to engage the community to craft a proposal that, “earns the support of the community, invests in forward-looking solutions, and delivers real relief for our constituents.”

The full letter can be found below.

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Dear Governor Hogan:

I write to express my growing concern with the proposed I-495 and I-270 Public-Private Partnership (P3) Program to widen over 70 miles of interstate in Maryland by adding tolls lanes. I share your concern with traffic congestion, its impact on our economic competitiveness, and its cost to Marylanders. However, as the D.C. region grows significantly over the next 25 years and we continue to work to attract good-paying jobs to our area, building new toll lanes will do little to improve congestion or address our underlying infrastructure challenges, and will amount to another financial burden on Maryland’s working families. Maryland must consider a variety of transportation modes that will takes cars off the road, limit disruptions to established neighborhoods and businesses, and benefit drivers of all income levels. Most importantly, there must be strong community support before moving forward on any proposal.

Federal law requires states and localities to consider multiple alternatives. The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) initially included general purpose lanes, rail, bus rapid transit and bus-only lanes, and transportation demand management. However, the Screened Alternatives being studied for the proposed program focus solely on managed toll lanes. Decades of traffic data across the United States show that increasing road capacity does not improve traffic. Instead, widening highways encourages more people to drive and travel longer distances, thereby increasing congestion. We experienced this in Maryland after I-270 was widened to 12 lanes in the 1990s, and when construction of the Intercounty Connector and an expanded Woodrow Wilson Bridge resulted in limited relief of overall east-west traffic.

As the Board of Public Works votes on the pre-solicitation of contracting a private concessionaire for this 50-year project - the largest P3 in the country, I believe it is critical that the EIS be completed before the state move forward with any bid or procurement process. A completed EIS would provide information about the impacts the project would have on the environment and carbon emissions, how many homes and businesses would be demolished or affected, the cost of tolls and total cost to taxpayers, as well as a more accurate and realistic timeframe for project completion.

Finally, without robust and broad public engagement it is impossible to determine whether any project would improve the transportation system and increase connectivity to the greatest number of communities. Our constituents feel like they have been left out of the discussion and are not being heard. Contrary to the promises made before the last election, it has been reported that dozens of homes and business could be destroyed, and thousands could be negatively impacted. The political uncertainty and opaque process could be why Transurban - the company who manages the toll lanes in Virginia - recently decided not to participate in Maryland’s project. Ultimately, there must be a strong coalition of local and state partners to provide the certainty, and the real congestion relief Maryland families deserve. I just do not see that reflected in this proposal.

We share a commitment to making our region the best place to work, raise a family, and build a business, and this requires a transportation network shaped for the 21st century. We must incentivize greater reliance on public transit, promote affordable housing and development in green transit-friendly communities, and encourage technological innovation to reduce traffic and take cars off the road, rather than building more highways. Today, companies like Marriott and Amazon are choosing to locate near transit hubs, and families are choosing to live near mixed-use, transit-oriented, high density developments. I urge you reconsider your approach to this project so that it earns the support of the community, invests in forward-looking solutions, and delivers real relief for our constituents.

Thank you for your time and attention to this matter and I look forward to your response.