The uncertain future of transit in suburban Maryland

Most people in Maryland's affluent suburbs of Washington, D.C. agree that the area is choked with traffic congestion. What they don't agree on is what, if anything, to do about it.

Maryland governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. was elected on a platform in which he unequivocally stated that he would "build the ICC. NOW." That's the Intercounty Connector, a east-west highway that's been on regional planning maps for several decades. The highway has long raised hackles from environmentalists and slow-growth advocates. Our previous governor killed it--well, temporarily killed it, anyway. Ehrlich's election revived it, and he fast-tracked--er, make that fast-laned--the environmental studies for the road. Now the current prognosis for the road is that construction will begin soon. Given the history of the road, I'll believe that when I see bulldozers razing trees and bridge-builders destroying watersheds.

Ehrlich's administration eliminated bike paths from the plans for the road, saying they would cost too much. Despite that, he still says he's a pro-transit guy. His administration claims to be dutifully studying what has long been called the Purple Line, though Ehrlich's folks have (for some reason I don't understand) redubbed it the Bi-County Transitway. Like the highway, the transit line would link the eastern and western suburbs. Also like the highway, the Purple Line has had its own rocky history, blocked by a combination of lack of funding and NIMBYs who don't want trains on a right-of-way that Montgomery County long ago purchased expressly for trains.

Enter Robert Smith. You may remember him as the Metro board member whom Governor Ehrlich fired for making anti-gay remarks. Now Smith says that Ehrlich is "stringing out this project for all it's worth" in favor of the true darling of the Ehrlich administration, the big highway.

Maryland Transportation Secretary Robert Flanagan disagrees: he says there are challenges to building the transit line and that the state must study many options.

Of course Smith has a reason to attack Ehrlich, seeing as the governor just fired him. But Flanagan's remarks seem disingenuous in light of the fast-laning of the highway. Sure, there are challenges to building the transit line. But the same is true of the highway, which will cost at least $2 billion. The state had to pick between at least two possible highway alignments, decide which homes to destroy, and consider mitigating impacts on several regional waterways. Despite all that, the state accelerated the study process. The Purple Line has not received similar attention from Ehrlich.

Furthermore, Smith is on to something when he says the highway will drain state coffers. Even if there's money left over after building the highway, there is an entire state of Maryland that stretches far beyond these two affluent suburban Washington counties. If we get this $2 billion highway, I doubt that the people of Baltimore or the Eastern Shore will be eager to pump more money into suburban Washington.

Thanks to Ben Ross of the Action Committee for Transit for sending the Post article.