#Maryland mdot traffic update

In June 2021, the regional Transportation Planning Board removed the project from its plan for air quality analysis, a requirement for federal approval. The changes neither satisfied environmental groups, who argued that the same problems existed in the newer plan, nor lawmakers, who argued that the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) had failed to consider alternative approaches to funding and construction that could save taxpayer money. Partly in response to that opposition, state transportation officials cut back on their proposal in May 2021, shrinking the scope of the project. Opponents also took issue with the planning and design process and the lack of consideration of alternative solutions. The plan to widen I-270 was opposed by environmental groups and local officials, who argued the project wouldn’t achieve its goal of reducing congestion, but would increase air, water and climate pollution and encourage sprawl. The plan for I-270 has since faced intense criticism, been downsized, and become mired in legal battles. Highway Boondoggles 4, in 2018, covered Maryland’s massive, $9 billion “Traffic Relief Plan,” which featured hundreds of lane-miles of highway widening, including on Interstate 270 northwest of Washington, D.C., and Interstate 495.

#Maryland mdot traffic update

Update from Highway Boondoggles 7: Maryland’s I-270 widening mired in controversy