Intercounty Connector
Encyclopedia
Maryland Route 200 more commonly known as the Intercounty Connector or ICC, is a partially completed toll
freeway under construction in Maryland
which connects Gaithersburg
in Montgomery County
and Laurel
in Prince George's County
. When completed, it will reach the community of Konterra just north of Beltsville
. The highway was originally proposed in the 1960s as part of the Washington Outer Beltway
. While other parts of the Outer Beltway were canceled, the ICC and the Fairfax County Parkway
remained on master plans
. The road's long history as an unbuilt proposed road stems from the controversy that has surrounded it over the years.
Proponents of the highway have claimed that it will improve the flow of interregional traffic, relieving traffic congestion
on local roads. Opponents of the highway have claimed that the road will (with a few limited exceptions) harm significant traffic flow characteristics (such as increasing drive times, congestion, and costs in the form of tolls), will negatively harm the environment (with air, sea and land impacts), and will disrupt established communities through which it passes.
Fulfilling a 2002 campaign promise, Maryland Governor
Robert Ehrlich
pushed to begin construction of the road and conducted a formal groundbreaking in October 2006. With additional support from his successor, Governor Martin O'Malley
, construction began on November 13, 2007. The first segment, from I-370 to Maryland Route 28
, officially opened on February 23, 2011, while the extension to Interstate 95 opened on November 22, 2011.
(I-370) near Gaithersburg
in Montgomery County
, between its MD 355
and Shady Grove Road interchanges as a six-lane freeway. Several new ramps and collector-distributor roads were built between this interchange and MD 355. MD 200 continues northeast from there through Redland Station, turning east to pass over Shady Grove Road, and then under Redland Road, paralleling Mill Creek. This is the location of the eastbound toll gantry. MD 200 shortly curves to the east on the approach to the six-lane overpass for Olde Mill Run, which was built wide enough for a fourth lane in the eastbound direction. The Olde Mill Run overpass is the only section of MD 200 with full 12 feet (3.7 m) shoulders on each side. After the overpass, MD 200 turns southeast, passing under Needwood Road, before turning sharply back to the east as it passes under MD 115
(Muncaster Mill Road). The route, now running slightly to the southeast begins the approach to MD 97
(Georgia Avenue).
MD 200 turns more eastward, running towards North Branch Stream Valley Park, and passing over the north branch of Rock Creek
and a second stream over a bridge. This is the location of the westbound toll gantry. The route enters the Norbeck
area, and passes under Emory Lane. Just east of there is where a hybrid cloverleaf interchange
with MD 97
(Georgia Avenue) is located. A park-and-ride may be built at this interchange. When the road opened in February 2011, it temporarily came to an end at a temporary traffic light located just east of MD 97 at MD 28
(Norbeck Road).
The route then curves southeastward, passing under MD 28 and Longmead Crossing Drive, running parallel to Wintergate Drive/Park Vista Drive. MD 200 then curves slightly more eastward toward Aspen Hill
, where the freeway intersects MD 182
(Layhill Road), shortly after entering the Northwest Branch Recreational Park. The route travels though the park for a stretch, bridging the Northwest Branch three times (the second bridge also carries MD 200 over Bonifant Road), exits the park, and then turns eastward, passing under Notley Road. MD 200 then turns slightly to the northeast near Colesville
and meets MD 650
at a single-point urban interchange
.
MD 200 then continues eastward, passes through Upper Paint Branch Park and bridge several creeks, including the Paint Branch
, and passes between several neighborhoods upon exiting the park. The route then passes under Old Columbia Pike with no access to this local road. Just beyond, MD 200 reaches a rather large interchange, made of many directional flyovers, with US 29
. This interchange also adds connections to Fairland Road with both MD 200 and US 29. The route continues eastward, featuring a partial interchange with Briggs Chaney Road (westbound exit and eastbound entrance), and then, just after crossing the border into Prince George's County
, it passes over the Little Paint Branch just south of the Fairland Recreational Park. The route then passes under Old Gunpowder Road.
The route then enters Calverton
, where the expansive interchange with I-95
is located. The interchange, marked as Exit 31 on I-95, is mostly a cloverleaf hybrid, and features several collector-distributor roads built along I-95, stretching from Old Gunpowder Road south of the interchange to MD 198
north of it. The community of Konterra is planned for construction near this interchange.
(Baltimore Avenue) in Beltsville
.
The entire length of MD 200 will be 18.8 miles (30.3 km) long, though the toll portion of the highway is only 13.8 miles (22.2 km) of this distance.
or billed using Automatic Number Plate Recognition
. ICC users without E-ZPass will be mailed a bill to pay the toll along with a $3 service fee. The tolls for the section of the road between I-370 and MD 97 are to vary by time of day, ranging from 60¢ at night to $1.45 at rush hour. Tolls were waived along the road between February 23 and March 7, 2011, and are again waived between November 22 and December 4, 2011. The $3 service fee for non-E-ZPass users began April 6.
. The original Outer Beltway had been planned to pass south of the corporate limits of Rockville
. Plans for most of the ICC alignment under construction in 2009 (between I-370
and the Trolley Museum site) were developed in the 1960s, and ran to the north and west of the original alignment. Even though the ICC does not cross the Potomac River, the new route was motivated in part by a desire to re-route an Outer Beltway crossing of the Potomac River upstream from the area of River Bend to Watkins Island.
In 1975, the the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB) of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments
endorsed a request from the State Highway Administration
"for federal support of a $1.1 million planning and engineering study of the first 8-mile segment of the road" (then called the Outer Beltway
), which was to "run from the Baltimore-Washington Parkway near Beltsville
westward to a point near Interstate Rte 70-S
at Gaithersburg
." However, the current route of the ICC follows that alignment only from a point near the site of the National Capital Trolley Museum
east to US 1 (Baltimore Avenue)
in Beltsville
.
, not the Baltimore-Washington Parkway
. In 1984, Maryland Secretary of Transportation Lowell K. Bridwell designated land in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties as the future site of the Intercounty Connector so that the right-of-way would be preserved, even though Montgomery County Executive Charles W. Gilchrist
had voiced very critical comments about the ICC as it was envisioned in 1983 – at least in part because he felt that construction of the ICC by the year 2000 was "infeasible", and advocated construction of a "shorter and less-costly" east-west highway instead.
Prior to Governor Parris N. Glendening declaring the ICC "dead" before leaving office in January 2003, two environmental impact studies had been conducted. In 1977, the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
expressed concerns about the impact that the ICC would have on its experiments. An initial environmental study was undertaken in the late 1970s, and extended into the 1980s. A second study was initiated around 1992, and a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) was issued in 1997. The Final Environmental Impact Statement was drafted by 1989 but did not receive federal approval, leading to the abandonment of the study until a new study began in 1992; the 1992-1997 study pointed to a similar conclusion, though it was never completed. By 1997, millions of dollars had been spent on planning and preliminary engineering, but the only segments of the road that had been built were I-370
between I-270
and the Shady Grove Metrorail
station on WMATA's Red Line
.
The TSG, chaired by Thomas B. Deen, former executive director of the Transportation Research Board
, met at a series of meetings over about 14 months in 1998 and 1999.
Policy suggestions and recommendations made by the TSG included that most of the group supports "providing high-speed bus transit, HOV and SOV access through a new east-west, value priced, limited-access parkway", with some opposition to the parkway and that the group had a divided opinion on a freeway, with most supporting it. The TSG had initially voted to oppose the ICC on its master planned route, but voted 10 in favor and 4 opposed in February 1999 to endorse a highway alternative with the condition that single-occupant vehicles be charged a toll.
At its final meeting in June 1999, the TSG held a public hearing in College Park and voted 12 to 4 in favor of a "parkway-like highway from I-270 to I-95, following the general path of the ICC."
The TSG also made a recommendation that a system of high-occupancy toll lanes (with variable pricing) be implemented on major freeways of the region, including the ICC, I-95
, the Capital Beltway
, I-270
and US 50
.
On September 22, 1999, Glendening chose to reject the TSG recommendation, asserting that the project was "wrong" and "inconsistent with Smart Growth doctrine" and was quoted by The Washington Post
as saying, "It is a proposal that has fractured our communities. It has pitted neighbor against neighbor. And it has created political gridlock while traffic gridlock has only worsened." Even though Glendening chose to ignore the TSG's primary recommendation, its work was not entirely in vain, as its efforts were to be cited prominently some years later in the ICC's Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). The concept of a regionwide network of HOT lanes (to be called "variably priced highway lanes") was further developed by the the TPB, and a regional network (including the ICC) was described in a report published in February 2008. After rejecting the ICC, Glendening and opponents of the ICC then examined the possibility of selling its right-of-way, but proponents of the ICC would have been able to stop such a sale at the Board of Public Works, which must approve transactions involving the sale of state-owned real estate.
(notably Senate President Thomas V. "Mike" Miller
), who discussed legislative measures that could be taken in the General Assembly to thwart such a move. In February 2000, an agreement between Montgomery County's politicians and members of the General Assembly reached an agreement "memorialized in two letters but not cast in stone" that the "... Council agreed not to take any action to kill the ICC during the next three years."
In 2000, Montgomery County Planning Board established the Transportation Policy Report and then the more-inclusive Transportation Policy Report II Task Force "... in an effort to establish a framework for future Master Plans and to help set priorities for future infrastructure."
The TPR II Task Force had 33 members, including persons in favor of the ICC and those opposed.
The TPR II Task Force listed the ICC in its recommended network, following a caveat that "If they are found feasible and ultimately judged desirable to implement,
the priority of implementation could be established at that time.
When the Montgomery County Council was briefed on the report, discussions quickly shifted to the ICC and the controversy associated with it.
The ICC's FEIS makes specific reference to the work done by the TPR II Task Force.
The Maryland State Senate, in its 2002 session, passed Senate Joint Resolution 8, which asked Glendening to restart the ICC Environmental Impact Statement that had been put on hold in 1997. The Maryland House of Delegates passed an accompanying resolution, House Joint Resolution 10 with essentially similar provisions. The ICC study was not to be restarted until Glendening left office at the end of 2002.
review process by the United States Secretary of Transportation
, Norman Mineta
. In addition to the election of Ehrlich, the Montgomery County Council that was seated at the end of 2002 had a 6-3 majority of members in favor of the project. Prior to the 2002 election, a majority had been skeptical (if not outright opposed) to the project.
On April 21, 2004, the TPB voted to include the ICC in future networks of the Washington region's transportation system for purposes of forecasting changes in air quality. On November 17, 2004, the TPB endorsed regional transportation plans which included the ICC, determining that the proposed plans met air quality goals and that funding for the project was adequate.
On July 11, 2005, Governor Ehrlich announced the state's preference to build the ICC along Corridor 1. Corridor 1 (approximately 80% of which is the Master Plan Alignment) has been on the books for decades; Corridor 2, also known as the Northern Alignment, was designed to reduce Corridor 1's impact on the environment. While the EPA
gave Corridor 2 a higher environmental rating, it was eventually rejected by the state due to the increased number of homes and businesses that would have to be removed for its construction, because of negative environmental impacts on the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission's
Rocky Gorge Reservoir
on the Patuxent River
(which is a source of drinking water
for much of the WSSC service area), and because it was not consistent with several approved and adopted Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
master plans in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties.
On August 31, 2005, the Board of Public Works gave its approval to the Corridor 1 alternative, which allowed state funding of the project in accordance with Maryland's provisions (established by statute) for funding a "growth-related project" that is not entirely within Priority Funding Areas. In December 2005, controversy arose over the ICC's proposed toll rate. At a proposed 17 cents per mile, an end-to-end driver would have to pay about $6 a day for a round-trip (about $1,500 per year). On May 30, 2006, the Federal Highway Administration
gave approval to the Corridor 1 plan, meaning that Maryland had satisfied "all environmental, economic and community requirements and that it can build the highway". The Baltimore Business Journal wrote, "Federal approval for the $2.4 billion connector came after Ehrlich made a direct request to President George W. Bush
, who named the ICC as one of his priority projects. The president's direct attention prompted federal resource agencies to give the project a more timely environmental review."
The SHA constructed the ICC using separate design-build contracts for five phases.
The first of the five contracts was awarded on March 27, 2007. The contract, worth $478.7M, was awarded to Intercounty Constructors, a joint venture of Granite Construction Company, Corman Construction Inc. and G.A. & F.C. Wagman, Inc. Construction on the seven-mile (11 km) section between I-370 and MD 97 began in November 2007.
Contracts for three other phases are active and the fifth phase involving collector-distributor lanes along I-95 has been deferred.
Requests for statements of qualification were issued for Phase A in December 2005, for Phase D in August 2006, and for Phase B in August 2007.
The selection of the second of the five contracts was announced on November 20, 2007. The contract, worth $513.9M, was awarded to IC3, a joint venture of Shirley Contracting Company, LLC; Clark Construction Group, LLC; Guy F. Atkinson Construction, LLC; Facchina Construction Company, Inc. and Trumbull Corporation. This work includes the ICC from a point west of US 29 to I-95, and interchanges with those routes.
On September 4, 2008, The Washington Post
reported that the Contract B construction contract had been awarded on July 22, 2008 to a joint venture of Kiewit, Corman Construction, and G.A. & F.C. Wagman, at a total cost of about $559.7 million—reportedly 22% higher than previous estimates. The Post story went on to say that protest of this contract award was filed on July 30, 2008 by a joint venture that was not selected, though the bid price from the rejected group was lower. This protest may delay the start of construction on Contract B. On October 15, 2008, the Post
reported that the protest was denied by state procurement officer Robert P. Gay and that the losing proposer will file an appeal with the Maryland State Board of Contract Appeals.
On September 12, 2008, the Post reported that Contract D ran into funding issues which will delay its construction.
Contract D is associated with the proposed new interchange of I-95 and Contee Road (not part of the ICC). SHA
Administrator Neil J. Pedersen stated that the "service roads can be delayed until the I-95 interchange has been built at Contee Road."
The first segment opened on February 23, 2011, ahead of its projected spring 2011 opening. No tolls were charged on the date of opening to March 6, 2011. On the opening morning, over 10,000 vehicles used the highway, and it went on to draw in 30,000 vehicles per day. However, after the toll-free period, the tollway has not met initial traffic projections. During the first week of May, the tollway drew 11,490 vehicles per day, which is much less than the 21,000 projected. As a result, the state is launching a $1.4 million advertising campaign to promote the new highway. The second segment of the highway, from MD 97
to I-95
opened on November 22, 2011, and can be driven toll-free through December 4, 2011. The highway is expected to be extended to US 1 as late as 2014.
(MdTA) revenue bonds, $1,232,500,000 (50.39%), GARVEE bonds $750,000,000 (30.66%), Maryland General Fund $264,910,000 (10.83%), Maryland Transportation Trust Fund $180,000,000 (7.36%), and Special Federal Funds $18,500,000 (0.76%)
and the Prince George's County Council. Proponents of the highway have claimed that it will improve the flow of interregional traffic, relieving traffic congestion
on local roads. Opponents of the highway have claimed that the road will (with a few limited exceptions) harm significant traffic flow characteristics (such as increasing drive times, congestion, and costs in the form of tolls), will harm the environment (with air, sea and land impacts), and will disrupt established communities through which it passes. Many of these assertions against the ICC were rebutted in detail in an appendix of the ICC's Final Environmental Impact Statement
(FEIS).
Members of the Maryland General Assembly stated opposition in the Spring 2008 and Spring 2009 sessions, the 1998 session, and back to 1979, when a bill introduced in the General Assembly by Delegate Robin Ficker
proposed to eliminate funding for a study of the ICC and the never-built Rockville Facility highway project.
In 1980, a bill proposed by Delegate Idamae Garrott to forbid the Maryland Department of Transportation from even studying the matter of new highways running east and west between Montgomery and Prince George's Counties was tabled by the Montgomery County Delegation.
In the 1998 session, House Bill 817 was introduced to prohibit MDOT from spending funds or granting approvals to the ICC project, and House Bill 905 was intended to stop the operation of a toll highway altogether. Both bills failed to pass. In 2004, House Bill 732 proposed a similar statement to House Bill 817, extended to include the MdTA. The 2007 Special Session saw the offering of House Bill 37 to prevent construction of the road. Both of these bills also failed to pass. In the 2008 session, two bills proposing to cancel or delay the project were introduced – House Bill 1416 and House Bill 1471. House Bill 1471 proposed to eliminate funding for the road, and, if it had passed, would trigger "liquidated damage clauses that would require it to pay the contractors an estimated $80.0 million upon cancellation of the contracts," according to the Fiscal Note prepared by the state's Department of Legislative Services. Both bills failed.
In the 2009 session, a bill proposing to cancel funding for the ICC was pre-filed by Delegate Barbara A. Frush – House Bill 27. This bill had not attracted any co-sponsors nor had it been scheduled for a hearing. A similar bill, Senate Bill 753, was filed in the Maryland Senate by Sen. E. J. Pipkin and others. The Maryland Politics Watch blog opined that Pipkin's co-sponsorship of SB 753 may be related to his possible desire to run again for the U.S. House of Representatives Maryland District 1
seat. Both bills failed in the 2009 session. House Bill 27 received an unfavorable report from the House of Delegates Appropriations Committee on March 28, 2009; and no action was taken on Senate Bill 753 prior to adjournment on April 13, 2009, though a hearing was scheduled on March 18, 2009 before the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee.
The position of the County Council of Prince George's County
in opposition to the ICC has been repeatedly cited by opposition groups, and its 2003 resolution on the subject, CR-32-2003, was adopted on June 10, 2003, where it called for alternatives to the road.
In 2007, the Prince George's County Council passed resolution CR-59-2007, which repeats much of what was stated in CR-32-2003, including the language endorsing the ICC in Prince George's County.
In November 2006, environmental groups announced that they were preparing to file suit in order to delay or stop the project, and
lawsuits aimed at halting construction were filed by environmental groups and affected residents, assisted in part by pro bono legal counsel from the Institute for Public Representation of the Georgetown University Law Center. One of those lawsuits was originally filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (possibly as part of a forum shopping
effort to avoid having the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals
hear the case on appeal - though the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
, which would have heard any appeals from the D.C. federal court, had ruled against the Sierra Club and allied groups on similar legal issues in reversing a lower court on a case involving the proposal to reconstruct and widen the Woodrow Wilson Bridge
in 1999) but Judge Gladys Kessler
of the D.C. federal court ordered the matter transferred to federal court in Maryland on May 17, 2007 and the suits were consolidated. After hearings in October 2007, both lawsuits were dismissed in their entirety on November 8, 2007 by Judge Alexander Williams, Jr.
of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
in a 105-page memorandum opinion.
The Baltimore Sun
described the decision handed down by the court as a "victory for both Governor Martin O'Malley
, who backs construction of the road, and a measure of vindication for former Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, who made it the top transportation priority of his administration."
After the opinion was released, environmental groups opposed to the ICC stated that they would "consider their legal options before deciding whether to continue their battle"
and some homeowners near the selected route expressed disagreement with the ruling of the court. On January 7, 2008, it was announced that Environmental Defense and the Sierra Club would appeal Judge Williams' decision to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
in Richmond
, Virginia. In April 2008, persons and groups opposed to the ICC held an "Irish wake" to draw attention to the impact of the ICC, and an op-ed in The Diamondback
was printed which raised objections to the ICC.
In June 2008, protests against the ICC were held at Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary School in Silver Spring. The participants claimed that ICC construction should be halted because of air pollution impacts on pupils at the school, though it was reported that Governor O'Malley has no plans to do so. In August 2008, The Baltimore Sun
published a letter to the editor from the executive director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth calling on the Maryland Department of Transportation
to "cancel the ICC." In September 2008, The Sun's
columnist Dan Rodricks wrote an anti-ICC opinion piece asserting that the ICC was the "Intercounty Anachronism". Rodricks' column was first rebutted by a letter to the editor by Montgomery County Councilmember Nancy Floreen (D-At Large) and then in a longer op-ed by SHA Administrator Neil Pedersen. Also in September 2008, The Gazette
published an op-ed by state delegate Heather R. Mizeur (D-District 20) suggesting that the ICC be canceled. The Mizeur op-ed was rebutted in a response (also published by The Gazette
) by Neil Pedersen in October 2008.
In November 2008, it was announced that Environmental Defense had dropped its appeal with the Fourth Circuit
of the decision handed down by Judge Williams of the U.S. District Court for Maryland
about a year earlier. In exchange for dropping the suit, the State Highway Administration agreed to fund new emissions-reduction technology used by public school buses in Montgomery County; and the SHA will also "sponsor a three-year study that involves installing air quality monitors along a major highway selected for its similar characteristics to the ICC and I-95." Press releases were issued by the State Highway Administration
and Environmental Defense discussing the details of the legal settlement.
. In addition to work taking place near and in the right-of-way of the ICC, there are over 50 "off-site environmental and community improvement projects" that will be funded as part of the ICC engineering and construction budget.
In a letter to the editor of The Baltimore Sun
, David Marks, a former official with the Maryland Department of Transportation
, wrote that the SHA project team "...had the foresight to require substantial environmental improvements as part of the project, and they insisted on broad public input..."
One component of the mitigation is the replacement of parkland taken for the ICC with new land.
Replacement lands intended to compensate for these losses include a large parcel of land in the Boyds
area of Montgomery County owned by the Eugene B. Casey Foundation. However, the trustees of the Casey Foundation did not agree to the purchase of this parcel,
so the State Highway Administration acquired the land by condemnation and the matter was reported as resolved in June 2008. In July 2008, controversy was reported on a similar subject. A 118 acre (0.47752948 km²) parcel of land near the intersection of MD 198
and Peach Orchard Road which had been condemned by the SHA in 1997 for possible use as the so-called Northern Alignment (Corridor 2) was conveyed to the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
to compensate for parkland which will be taken by the ICC. The former owner, Winchester Homes, filed a lawsuit contending that the SHA must offer to sell this land back to Winchester, and in May 2008, Judge S. Michael Pincus of the Montgomery County Circuit Court ruled that "the SHA was contractually obligated to offer Winchester Homes the chance to buy back the property." It was further reported that the state filed an appeal in June 2008.
In the February 2008 edition of the Successes in Stewardship newsletter, the Federal Highway Administration
stated:
At least one section of the ICC was re-routed from the master-planned route to reduce environmental impact, though the re-routing led to additional residences having to be condemned as a result.
Eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina
) in the path of the ICC will be located with the aid of dogs trained to find them by scent and moved to other locations in Montgomery County near Boyds
and Brookeville
.
In a letter to the editor of The Gazette, SHA
Administrator Neil Pedersen enumerated a list of environmental mitigation and community enhancements that SHA is funding as part of constructing the ICC.
The ICC is likely to force changes to the 14th hole of the Cross Creek Golf Club, which straddles the border between Montgomery County and Prince George's County. However, it was reported that the 14th hole was surveyed incorrectly, and part of it was mistakenly located on land set aside for the ICC.
In January 2009, it was reported that Eyes of Paint Branch (a group that has opposed the ICC) had recently demanded of the SHA that the contractors working to build the ICC comply with Montgomery County's regulations for the Upper Paint Branch
Special Protection Area, which the State of Maryland has no legal obligation to follow.
Construction of the ICC has forced the National Capital Trolley Museum
to relocate its car barns, shops, visitors center, and part of its track a short distance to the north. In 2006, the museum's development director made a public plea for relocation help and coordination in a Washington Post op-ed column. The museum suspended operations for relocation in December 2008 and resumed trolley rides in January 2010. In August 2009, the SHA held a public forum at the new and relocated trolley museum
to describe the environmental mitigation aspects of the ongoing ICC construction project.
A major environmental concern along the entire ICC project is the impact of stormwater
runoff
on creek
s and stream
s, during and after construction. Techniques and technologies to treat such water are known as best management practices (BMPs)
. State-of-the-art BMPs used along the ICC's construction project were described in an article in Land and Water magazine. Some of the methods being used to control runoff were described in a The Baltimore Sun
"On the Outdoors" column, published after the writer toured several work areas along the ICC's right-of-way:
The Sun column went on to describe financial incentives that will be paid to construction contractors that meet environmental goals and requirements.
As part of construction work, several archaeological sites have been found in the path of the ICC, including a Native American site near Georgia Avenue and Norbeck Road that contains artifacts dating to the Stone Age. and near US 29, the 19th century homestead of a freed slave, Melinda Jackson, containing numerous artifacts.
However, in 2004, the SHA announced that it was dropping the ICC bike trail from its own plans due to cost and environmental footprint. Since then, there have been proposals to re-route some sections of the trail over existing surface streets, and to cut back or eliminate the trail for reasons of environmental impact and cost.
This move was harshly criticized by several groups, notably the bicycling community, who as The Washington Post
states "have been promised much and given little" pertaining to the bicycle trail; however, it also believes that the county planners are assessing the situation seriously and will make the best decision. Eventually, on September 18, 2008, the Montgomery County Planning Board voted to endorse a trail following a route not adjacent to the ICC's route.
The Planning Board's proposal has been submitted to the Montgomery County Council for consideration as a master plan amendment. Bicycle advocates have stated their opposition to the proposal to remove parts of the bike trail immediately adjacent to the ICC. Later, in March 2009, the Montgomery County Council effectively endorsed both approaches, one being a route that did not follow the ICC (in particular, along the route crossing the Paint Branch) but also keeping in place plans for a path essentially parallel to the highway. Alongside the opening of the highway in 2011, the bike path is open from Needwood Road to MD 28
(Norbeck Road), primarily following the MD 200 right-of-way except for a section which follows Emory Lane to Georgia Avenue.
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
freeway under construction in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
which connects Gaithersburg
Gaithersburg, Maryland
Gaithersburg is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The city had a population of 59,933 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth largest incorporated city in the state, behind Baltimore, Frederick, and Rockville...
in Montgomery County
Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland, situated just to the north of Washington, D.C., and southwest of the city of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the United States, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate...
and Laurel
Laurel, Maryland
Laurel is a city in northern Prince George's County, Anne Arundel County, and Howard County, Maryland, United States, located midway between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. Incorporated in 1870, the city maintains a historic district including its Main Street...
in Prince George's County
Prince George's County, Maryland
Prince George's County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, immediately north, east, and south of Washington, DC. As of 2010, it has a population of 863,420 and is the wealthiest African-American majority county in the nation....
. When completed, it will reach the community of Konterra just north of Beltsville
Beltsville, Maryland
Beltsville is a census-designated place in northern Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 15,691 at the 2000 census. Beltsville includes the unincorporated community of Vansville.-Geography:...
. The highway was originally proposed in the 1960s as part of the Washington Outer Beltway
Washington Outer Beltway
The Washington Outer Beltway was a proposed freeway that would have extended further out than the Capital Beltway and encircled Washington, D.C. through the states of Maryland and Virginia...
. While other parts of the Outer Beltway were canceled, the ICC and the Fairfax County Parkway
Fairfax County Parkway
The Fairfax County Parkway, signed as State Route 7100, is a secondary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. It provides a north–south arterial route in Fairfax County with a mix of interchanges and signalized and unsignalized intersections. Its alignment roughly corresponds to part of...
remained on master plans
Comprehensive planning
Comprehensive planning is a term used in the United States by land use planners to describe a process that determines community goals and aspirations in terms of community development. The outcome of comprehensive planning is the Comprehensive Plan which dictates public policy in terms of...
. The road's long history as an unbuilt proposed road stems from the controversy that has surrounded it over the years.
Proponents of the highway have claimed that it will improve the flow of interregional traffic, relieving traffic congestion
Traffic congestion
Traffic congestion is a condition on road networks that occurs as use increases, and is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. The most common example is the physical use of roads by vehicles. When traffic demand is great enough that the interaction...
on local roads. Opponents of the highway have claimed that the road will (with a few limited exceptions) harm significant traffic flow characteristics (such as increasing drive times, congestion, and costs in the form of tolls), will negatively harm the environment (with air, sea and land impacts), and will disrupt established communities through which it passes.
Fulfilling a 2002 campaign promise, Maryland Governor
Governor of Maryland
The Governor of Maryland heads the executive branch of the government of Maryland, and he is the commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard units. The Governor is the highest-ranking official in the state, and he has a broad range of appointive powers in both the State and local governments,...
Robert Ehrlich
Robert Ehrlich
Robert Leroy "Bob" Ehrlich, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 60th Governor of Maryland from 2003 to 2007. A Republican, he became governor after defeating Democratic opponent Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, a member of the Kennedy family, 51% to 48% in the 2002 elections...
pushed to begin construction of the road and conducted a formal groundbreaking in October 2006. With additional support from his successor, Governor Martin O'Malley
Martin O'Malley
Martin Joseph O'Malley is an American Democratic politician who is currently serving as the 61st Governor of Maryland. Previously, he served as the mayor of Baltimore from 1999 to 2007. He is currently the chairman of the Democratic Governors Association.-Early life, education and career:O'Malley...
, construction began on November 13, 2007. The first segment, from I-370 to Maryland Route 28
Maryland Route 28
Maryland Route 28 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The state highway runs from U.S. Route 15 in Point of Rocks east to MD 182 in Norwood. The western portion of MD 28 is a rural highway connecting several villages in southern Frederick County and western Montgomery County...
, officially opened on February 23, 2011, while the extension to Interstate 95 opened on November 22, 2011.
Route description
Currently open
MD 200 begins at a trumpet interchange with Interstate 370Interstate 370
Interstate 370 is a Interstate Highway spur route off I-270 in Gaithersburg, Maryland to the western end of toll road MD 200 at an interchange that provides access to the park and ride lot at the Shady Grove station on the Red Line of the Washington Metro. Despite the number, I-370 does not...
(I-370) near Gaithersburg
Gaithersburg, Maryland
Gaithersburg is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The city had a population of 59,933 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth largest incorporated city in the state, behind Baltimore, Frederick, and Rockville...
in Montgomery County
Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland, situated just to the north of Washington, D.C., and southwest of the city of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the United States, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate...
, between its MD 355
Maryland Route 355
Maryland Route 355 is a north–south road in western central Maryland in the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at the Washington, D.C. border in Friendship Heights, Montgomery County, where it continues south as Wisconsin Avenue into Washington. The northern terminus is...
and Shady Grove Road interchanges as a six-lane freeway. Several new ramps and collector-distributor roads were built between this interchange and MD 355. MD 200 continues northeast from there through Redland Station, turning east to pass over Shady Grove Road, and then under Redland Road, paralleling Mill Creek. This is the location of the eastbound toll gantry. MD 200 shortly curves to the east on the approach to the six-lane overpass for Olde Mill Run, which was built wide enough for a fourth lane in the eastbound direction. The Olde Mill Run overpass is the only section of MD 200 with full 12 feet (3.7 m) shoulders on each side. After the overpass, MD 200 turns southeast, passing under Needwood Road, before turning sharply back to the east as it passes under MD 115
Maryland Route 115
Maryland Route 115 is a Maryland state highway that goes from MD 124 in Washington Grove to MD 655 in Norbeck. The entire route is in Montgomery County.-Route description:...
(Muncaster Mill Road). The route, now running slightly to the southeast begins the approach to MD 97
Maryland Route 97
Maryland Route 97 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The route runs from U.S. Route 29 in Silver Spring, Montgomery County north to the Pennsylvania border in Carroll County, where the road continues into that state as Pennsylvania Route 97...
(Georgia Avenue).
MD 200 turns more eastward, running towards North Branch Stream Valley Park, and passing over the north branch of Rock Creek
Rock Creek (Potomac River)
Rock Creek is a free-flowing tributary of the Potomac River, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean via the Chesapeake Bay. The creek is long, with a drainage area of about...
and a second stream over a bridge. This is the location of the westbound toll gantry. The route enters the Norbeck
Norbeck, Maryland
Norbeck is the area of Montgomery County, Maryland around Norbeck Road east of Georgia Avenue to Layhill Road.A museum in Sandy Spring, Maryland provides the information that Norbeck is the:Southwestern outpost of the greater Sandy Spring neighborhood [and] put down roots as a free-black community...
area, and passes under Emory Lane. Just east of there is where a hybrid cloverleaf interchange
Cloverleaf interchange
A cloverleaf interchange is a two-level interchange in which left turns, reverse direction in left-driving regions, are handled by ramp roads...
with MD 97
Maryland Route 97
Maryland Route 97 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The route runs from U.S. Route 29 in Silver Spring, Montgomery County north to the Pennsylvania border in Carroll County, where the road continues into that state as Pennsylvania Route 97...
(Georgia Avenue) is located. A park-and-ride may be built at this interchange. When the road opened in February 2011, it temporarily came to an end at a temporary traffic light located just east of MD 97 at MD 28
Maryland Route 28
Maryland Route 28 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The state highway runs from U.S. Route 15 in Point of Rocks east to MD 182 in Norwood. The western portion of MD 28 is a rural highway connecting several villages in southern Frederick County and western Montgomery County...
(Norbeck Road).
The route then curves southeastward, passing under MD 28 and Longmead Crossing Drive, running parallel to Wintergate Drive/Park Vista Drive. MD 200 then curves slightly more eastward toward Aspen Hill
Aspen Hill, Maryland
Aspen Hill is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland. It got its name from aspen trees that once were found near the first post office in the area...
, where the freeway intersects MD 182
Maryland Route 182
Maryland Route 182 is a road that runs between Olney and Glenmont, Maryland. The road is first known as Dr. Bird Road for a short distance before becoming Norwood Road. When the road reaches Norwood, a right turn is required to stay on the route, which for its remainder is known as Layhill Road...
(Layhill Road), shortly after entering the Northwest Branch Recreational Park. The route travels though the park for a stretch, bridging the Northwest Branch three times (the second bridge also carries MD 200 over Bonifant Road), exits the park, and then turns eastward, passing under Notley Road. MD 200 then turns slightly to the northeast near Colesville
Colesville, Maryland
Colesville is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland in the USA.-Geography:As an unincorporated area, Colesville's boundaries are not officially defined. Also, many residents consider the town to be one of the many neighborhoods of Silver Spring, Maryland...
and meets MD 650
Maryland Route 650
Maryland Route 650 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as New Hampshire Avenue for most of its length, the state highway runs from Eastern Avenue at the Washington, D.C. border north to MD 108 in Etchison...
at a single-point urban interchange
Single-point urban interchange
A single-point urban interchange , also called a single-point interchange or single-point diamond interchange , is a type of highway interchange...
.
MD 200 then continues eastward, passes through Upper Paint Branch Park and bridge several creeks, including the Paint Branch
Paint Branch
Paint Branch is a stream that flows through Montgomery County and Prince George's County, Maryland. It is a tributary of the Northeast Branch, which flows to the Anacostia River, Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay....
, and passes between several neighborhoods upon exiting the park. The route then passes under Old Columbia Pike with no access to this local road. Just beyond, MD 200 reaches a rather large interchange, made of many directional flyovers, with US 29
U.S. Route 29 in Maryland
U.S. Route 29 is a north–south United States highway that runs for from the western suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland, to Pensacola, Florida. In the U.S. state of Maryland, US 29 is a major highway that emerges from Washington D.C. and runs north into eastern Montgomery County, stretching...
. This interchange also adds connections to Fairland Road with both MD 200 and US 29. The route continues eastward, featuring a partial interchange with Briggs Chaney Road (westbound exit and eastbound entrance), and then, just after crossing the border into Prince George's County
Prince George's County, Maryland
Prince George's County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, immediately north, east, and south of Washington, DC. As of 2010, it has a population of 863,420 and is the wealthiest African-American majority county in the nation....
, it passes over the Little Paint Branch just south of the Fairland Recreational Park. The route then passes under Old Gunpowder Road.
The route then enters Calverton
Calverton, Maryland
Calverton is an unincorporated area and Census-designated place located on the boundary between Montgomery and Prince George's Counties, Maryland.-Geography:As an unincorporated area, Calverton's boundaries are not officially defined...
, where the expansive interchange with I-95
Interstate 95 in Maryland
Interstate 95 in Maryland is a major highway that runs diagonally from northeast to southwest, from Maryland's border with Delaware, to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, briefly entering the District of Columbia before reaching Virginia...
is located. The interchange, marked as Exit 31 on I-95, is mostly a cloverleaf hybrid, and features several collector-distributor roads built along I-95, stretching from Old Gunpowder Road south of the interchange to MD 198
Maryland Route 198
Maryland Route 198 is an east–west state highway in the central part of the U.S. state of Maryland that connects Fort Meade at Maryland Route 32 to Maryland Route 28 and Maryland Route 650 near Spencerville.-Spencerville Road:...
north of it. The community of Konterra is planned for construction near this interchange.
Future segment
Beyond I-95, MD 200 will narrow to four lanes. MD 200 curves sharply to the north and shortly curves sharply back to the east, and meets a diamond-interchange providing access to Virginia Manor Road. MD 200 then curves sharply to the southeast and quickly ends at a traffic-signal at US 1U.S. Route 1 in Maryland
U.S. Route 1 is the easternmost and longest of the major north–south routes of the United States Numbered Highway System, running from Key West, Florida to Fort Kent, Maine. In the U.S...
(Baltimore Avenue) in Beltsville
Beltsville, Maryland
Beltsville is a census-designated place in northern Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 15,691 at the 2000 census. Beltsville includes the unincorporated community of Vansville.-Geography:...
.
The entire length of MD 200 will be 18.8 miles (30.3 km) long, though the toll portion of the highway is only 13.8 miles (22.2 km) of this distance.
Tolls
The Intercounty Connector uses all-electronic tolling, with tolls payable through E-ZPassE-ZPass
E-ZPass is an electronic toll-collection system used on most tolled roads, bridges, and tunnels in the northeastern US, south to Virginia and West Virginia, and west to Illinois. Currently, there are 25 agencies spread across 14 states that make up the . All member agencies use the same technology,...
or billed using Automatic Number Plate Recognition
Automatic number plate recognition
Automatic number plate recognition is a mass surveillance method that uses optical character recognition on images to read the license plates on vehicles. They can use existing closed-circuit television or road-rule enforcement cameras, or ones specifically designed for the task...
. ICC users without E-ZPass will be mailed a bill to pay the toll along with a $3 service fee. The tolls for the section of the road between I-370 and MD 97 are to vary by time of day, ranging from 60¢ at night to $1.45 at rush hour. Tolls were waived along the road between February 23 and March 7, 2011, and are again waived between November 22 and December 4, 2011. The $3 service fee for non-E-ZPass users began April 6.
Washington Outer Beltway
The ICC can be traced to plans developed in the 1950s for an Outer BeltwayWashington Outer Beltway
The Washington Outer Beltway was a proposed freeway that would have extended further out than the Capital Beltway and encircled Washington, D.C. through the states of Maryland and Virginia...
. The original Outer Beltway had been planned to pass south of the corporate limits of Rockville
Rockville, Maryland
Rockville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a major incorporated city in the central part of Montgomery County and forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The 2010 U.S...
. Plans for most of the ICC alignment under construction in 2009 (between I-370
Interstate 370
Interstate 370 is a Interstate Highway spur route off I-270 in Gaithersburg, Maryland to the western end of toll road MD 200 at an interchange that provides access to the park and ride lot at the Shady Grove station on the Red Line of the Washington Metro. Despite the number, I-370 does not...
and the Trolley Museum site) were developed in the 1960s, and ran to the north and west of the original alignment. Even though the ICC does not cross the Potomac River, the new route was motivated in part by a desire to re-route an Outer Beltway crossing of the Potomac River upstream from the area of River Bend to Watkins Island.
In 1975, the the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB) of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments
Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments
The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments is a regional organization of Washington area local governments. MWCOG comprises 21 local governments in the Washington Metropolitan Area, as well as area members of the Maryland and Virginia state legislatures, the U.S. Senate, and the U.S. House...
endorsed a request from the State Highway Administration
Maryland State Highway Administration
The Maryland State Highway Administration is the state agency responsible for maintaining Maryland numbered highways outside of Baltimore City...
"for federal support of a $1.1 million planning and engineering study of the first 8-mile segment of the road" (then called the Outer Beltway
Washington Outer Beltway
The Washington Outer Beltway was a proposed freeway that would have extended further out than the Capital Beltway and encircled Washington, D.C. through the states of Maryland and Virginia...
), which was to "run from the Baltimore-Washington Parkway near Beltsville
Beltsville, Maryland
Beltsville is a census-designated place in northern Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 15,691 at the 2000 census. Beltsville includes the unincorporated community of Vansville.-Geography:...
westward to a point near Interstate Rte 70-S
Interstate 270 (Maryland)
Interstate 270 is a auxiliary Interstate Highway in the U.S. state of Maryland that travels between Interstate 495 just north of Bethesda, Montgomery County and Interstate 70 in the city of Frederick in Frederick County. It consists of the mainline as well as a spur that provides access to and...
at Gaithersburg
Gaithersburg, Maryland
Gaithersburg is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The city had a population of 59,933 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth largest incorporated city in the state, behind Baltimore, Frederick, and Rockville...
." However, the current route of the ICC follows that alignment only from a point near the site of the National Capital Trolley Museum
National Capital Trolley Museum
The National Capital Trolley Museum is a non-profit organization that operates historic trolleys for the public on a regular schedule. It is located at 1313 Bonifant Road,Colesville, Maryland USA.-History:...
east to US 1 (Baltimore Avenue)
U.S. Route 1 in Maryland
U.S. Route 1 is the easternmost and longest of the major north–south routes of the United States Numbered Highway System, running from Key West, Florida to Fort Kent, Maine. In the U.S...
in Beltsville
Beltsville, Maryland
Beltsville is a census-designated place in northern Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 15,691 at the 2000 census. Beltsville includes the unincorporated community of Vansville.-Geography:...
.
Initial Intercounty Connector plan
In 1980, the state of Maryland dropped the Outer Beltway from its plans, with the exception of the Intercounty Connector. In 1983, the federal National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) formally requested that the eastern end of the ICC be shortened by four miles, so that the eastern terminus of the road would be at I-95Interstate 95 in Maryland
Interstate 95 in Maryland is a major highway that runs diagonally from northeast to southwest, from Maryland's border with Delaware, to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, briefly entering the District of Columbia before reaching Virginia...
, not the Baltimore-Washington Parkway
Baltimore-Washington Parkway
The Baltimore–Washington Parkway is a highway in the U.S. state of Maryland, running southwest from Baltimore to Washington, D.C. The road begins at an interchange with U.S. Route 50 and Maryland Route 201 near Cheverly in Prince George's County at the D.C...
. In 1984, Maryland Secretary of Transportation Lowell K. Bridwell designated land in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties as the future site of the Intercounty Connector so that the right-of-way would be preserved, even though Montgomery County Executive Charles W. Gilchrist
Charles W. Gilchrist
Charles W. Gilchrist received degrees from Williams College magna cum laude in 1958 and Harvard Law School in 1961 and was admitted into the Maryland Bar in 1962. He was active in many civic and political organizations, including the D.C. Bar Association and the Democratic Central Committee, and...
had voiced very critical comments about the ICC as it was envisioned in 1983 – at least in part because he felt that construction of the ICC by the year 2000 was "infeasible", and advocated construction of a "shorter and less-costly" east-west highway instead.
Prior to Governor Parris N. Glendening declaring the ICC "dead" before leaving office in January 2003, two environmental impact studies had been conducted. In 1977, the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
The Patuxent Wildlife Research Center is a biological research center in Maryland. It is one of only 17 research centers in the United States run by the U.S. Geological Survey. This USGS research center is located on the U.S...
expressed concerns about the impact that the ICC would have on its experiments. An initial environmental study was undertaken in the late 1970s, and extended into the 1980s. A second study was initiated around 1992, and a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) was issued in 1997. The Final Environmental Impact Statement was drafted by 1989 but did not receive federal approval, leading to the abandonment of the study until a new study began in 1992; the 1992-1997 study pointed to a similar conclusion, though it was never completed. By 1997, millions of dollars had been spent on planning and preliminary engineering, but the only segments of the road that had been built were I-370
Interstate 370
Interstate 370 is a Interstate Highway spur route off I-270 in Gaithersburg, Maryland to the western end of toll road MD 200 at an interchange that provides access to the park and ride lot at the Shady Grove station on the Red Line of the Washington Metro. Despite the number, I-370 does not...
between I-270
Interstate 270 (Maryland)
Interstate 270 is a auxiliary Interstate Highway in the U.S. state of Maryland that travels between Interstate 495 just north of Bethesda, Montgomery County and Interstate 70 in the city of Frederick in Frederick County. It consists of the mainline as well as a spur that provides access to and...
and the Shady Grove Metrorail
Washington Metro
The Washington Metro, commonly called Metro, and unofficially Metrorail, is the rapid transit system in Washington, D.C., United States, and its surrounding suburbs. It is administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority , which also operates Metrobus service under the Metro name...
station on WMATA's Red Line
Red Line (Washington Metro)
The Red Line of the Washington Metro is a rail rapid transit service operating between 27 stations in Montgomery County, Maryland and the District of Columbia, United States. It is a primary line through downtown Washington, and the oldest and busiest line in the system...
.
Glendening rejects Transportation Solutions Group recommendations
After the 1997 ICC DEIS process was put on hold by Governor Glendening, much controversy resulted between groups and persons in favor of the ICC and those opposed. The ICC became a political issue in 1998, an election year in Maryland. A blue-ribbon committee entitled the Transportation Solutions Group (TSG) was formed in 1998 to tell the Governor's Smart Growth Sub-Cabinet about intermodal transportation that complied with state and regional goals.The TSG, chaired by Thomas B. Deen, former executive director of the Transportation Research Board
Transportation Research Board
The Transportation Research Board is a division of the National Research Council, which serves as an independent adviser to the President, the Congress and federal agencies on scientific and technical questions of national importance...
, met at a series of meetings over about 14 months in 1998 and 1999.
Policy suggestions and recommendations made by the TSG included that most of the group supports "providing high-speed bus transit, HOV and SOV access through a new east-west, value priced, limited-access parkway", with some opposition to the parkway and that the group had a divided opinion on a freeway, with most supporting it. The TSG had initially voted to oppose the ICC on its master planned route, but voted 10 in favor and 4 opposed in February 1999 to endorse a highway alternative with the condition that single-occupant vehicles be charged a toll.
At its final meeting in June 1999, the TSG held a public hearing in College Park and voted 12 to 4 in favor of a "parkway-like highway from I-270 to I-95, following the general path of the ICC."
The TSG also made a recommendation that a system of high-occupancy toll lanes (with variable pricing) be implemented on major freeways of the region, including the ICC, I-95
Interstate 95 in Maryland
Interstate 95 in Maryland is a major highway that runs diagonally from northeast to southwest, from Maryland's border with Delaware, to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, briefly entering the District of Columbia before reaching Virginia...
, the Capital Beltway
Interstate 495 (Capital Beltway)
Interstate 495 is a Interstate Highway that surrounds the United States' capital of Washington, D.C., and its inner suburbs in adjacent Maryland and Virginia. I-495 is widely known as the Capital Beltway or simply the Beltway, especially when the context of Washington, D.C., is clear...
, I-270
Interstate 270 (Maryland)
Interstate 270 is a auxiliary Interstate Highway in the U.S. state of Maryland that travels between Interstate 495 just north of Bethesda, Montgomery County and Interstate 70 in the city of Frederick in Frederick County. It consists of the mainline as well as a spur that provides access to and...
and US 50
U.S. Route 50 in Maryland
U.S. Route 50 is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching just over from Ocean City, Maryland on the Atlantic Ocean to West Sacramento, California. In the U.S. state of Maryland, US 50 exists in two sections. The longer of these serves as a major route connecting...
.
On September 22, 1999, Glendening chose to reject the TSG recommendation, asserting that the project was "wrong" and "inconsistent with Smart Growth doctrine" and was quoted by The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
as saying, "It is a proposal that has fractured our communities. It has pitted neighbor against neighbor. And it has created political gridlock while traffic gridlock has only worsened." Even though Glendening chose to ignore the TSG's primary recommendation, its work was not entirely in vain, as its efforts were to be cited prominently some years later in the ICC's Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). The concept of a regionwide network of HOT lanes (to be called "variably priced highway lanes") was further developed by the the TPB, and a regional network (including the ICC) was described in a report published in February 2008. After rejecting the ICC, Glendening and opponents of the ICC then examined the possibility of selling its right-of-way, but proponents of the ICC would have been able to stop such a sale at the Board of Public Works, which must approve transactions involving the sale of state-owned real estate.
Montgomery County steps in
In 1999, staff to the Montgomery County Planning Board said that the ICC could be removed from master plans, but that such an effort would take "six or seven years" to accomplish. In November 1999, the Montgomery County Council discussed removing the ICC from master plans, and while five of the nine members were opposed to the ICC, the District 4 member, the late Marilyn Praisner, declined to agree to removal of the master-planned route, for fear that the so-called Northern Alignment (Corridor 2 in the 2005 Draft Environmental Impact Statement) would become a de-facto ICC in the future. The effort by Montgomery County politicians to remove the ICC from its plans irritated powerful members of the Maryland General AssemblyMaryland General Assembly
The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is a bicameral body. The upper chamber, the Maryland State Senate, has 47 representatives and the lower chamber, the Maryland House of Delegates, has 141 representatives...
(notably Senate President Thomas V. "Mike" Miller
Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr.
Thomas V. "Mike" Miller, Jr. is the current president of the Maryland Senate. He has served as president since January 1987, and has been a state senator representing the 27th District since 1975....
), who discussed legislative measures that could be taken in the General Assembly to thwart such a move. In February 2000, an agreement between Montgomery County's politicians and members of the General Assembly reached an agreement "memorialized in two letters but not cast in stone" that the "... Council agreed not to take any action to kill the ICC during the next three years."
In 2000, Montgomery County Planning Board established the Transportation Policy Report and then the more-inclusive Transportation Policy Report II Task Force "... in an effort to establish a framework for future Master Plans and to help set priorities for future infrastructure."
The TPR II Task Force had 33 members, including persons in favor of the ICC and those opposed.
The TPR II Task Force listed the ICC in its recommended network, following a caveat that "If they are found feasible and ultimately judged desirable to implement,
the priority of implementation could be established at that time.
When the Montgomery County Council was briefed on the report, discussions quickly shifted to the ICC and the controversy associated with it.
The ICC's FEIS makes specific reference to the work done by the TPR II Task Force.
The Maryland State Senate, in its 2002 session, passed Senate Joint Resolution 8, which asked Glendening to restart the ICC Environmental Impact Statement that had been put on hold in 1997. The Maryland House of Delegates passed an accompanying resolution, House Joint Resolution 10 with essentially similar provisions. The ICC study was not to be restarted until Glendening left office at the end of 2002.
Revival
In 2003, Governor Ehrlich followed through with his campaign promise to resurrect the ICC study and was allowed a fast trackFast Track
Fast Track is an informal English phrase meaning "the quickest and most direct route to achievement of a goal, as in competing for professional advancement".Fast Track may also refer to:* Fast Track, a FoxBusiness.com show hosted by Anna Gilligan...
review process by the United States Secretary of Transportation
United States Secretary of Transportation
The United States Secretary of Transportation is the head of the United States Department of Transportation, a member of the President's Cabinet, and fourteenth in the Presidential line of succession. The post was created with the formation of the Department of Transportation on October 15, 1966,...
, Norman Mineta
Norman Mineta
Norman Yoshio Mineta, is a United States politician of the Democratic Party. Mineta most recently served in President George W. Bush's Cabinet as the United States Secretary of Transportation, the only Democratic Cabinet Secretary in the Bush administration...
. In addition to the election of Ehrlich, the Montgomery County Council that was seated at the end of 2002 had a 6-3 majority of members in favor of the project. Prior to the 2002 election, a majority had been skeptical (if not outright opposed) to the project.
On April 21, 2004, the TPB voted to include the ICC in future networks of the Washington region's transportation system for purposes of forecasting changes in air quality. On November 17, 2004, the TPB endorsed regional transportation plans which included the ICC, determining that the proposed plans met air quality goals and that funding for the project was adequate.
On July 11, 2005, Governor Ehrlich announced the state's preference to build the ICC along Corridor 1. Corridor 1 (approximately 80% of which is the Master Plan Alignment) has been on the books for decades; Corridor 2, also known as the Northern Alignment, was designed to reduce Corridor 1's impact on the environment. While the EPA
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
gave Corridor 2 a higher environmental rating, it was eventually rejected by the state due to the increased number of homes and businesses that would have to be removed for its construction, because of negative environmental impacts on the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission's
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission provides safe drinking water and wastewater treatment for Montgomery and Prince George's Counties in Maryland. It was established on May 1, 1918. It is the eighth largest water and wastewater utility in the United States. The WSSC serves about 1.8 million...
Rocky Gorge Reservoir
Rocky Gorge Reservoir
Rocky Gorge Reservoir is located on the Patuxent River in Howard County, Montgomery County and Prince George’s County, Maryland near the town of Burtonsville. The reservoir was created in 1952 by the construction of the T. Howard Duckett Dam on the Patuxent. The dam is visible from Interstate 95...
on the Patuxent River
Patuxent River
The Patuxent River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay in the state of Maryland. There are three main river drainages for central Maryland: the Potomac River to the west passing through Washington D.C., the Patapsco River to the northeast passing through Baltimore, and the Patuxent River between...
(which is a source of drinking water
Drinking water
Drinking water or potable water is water pure enough to be consumed or used with low risk of immediate or long term harm. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commerce and industry is all of drinking water standard, even though only a very small proportion is actually...
for much of the WSSC service area), and because it was not consistent with several approved and adopted Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission is a bi-county agency that administers parks and planning in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties in Maryland.-History:...
master plans in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties.
On August 31, 2005, the Board of Public Works gave its approval to the Corridor 1 alternative, which allowed state funding of the project in accordance with Maryland's provisions (established by statute) for funding a "growth-related project" that is not entirely within Priority Funding Areas. In December 2005, controversy arose over the ICC's proposed toll rate. At a proposed 17 cents per mile, an end-to-end driver would have to pay about $6 a day for a round-trip (about $1,500 per year). On May 30, 2006, the Federal Highway Administration
Federal Highway Administration
The Federal Highway Administration is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two "programs," the Federal-aid Highway Program and the Federal Lands Highway Program...
gave approval to the Corridor 1 plan, meaning that Maryland had satisfied "all environmental, economic and community requirements and that it can build the highway". The Baltimore Business Journal wrote, "Federal approval for the $2.4 billion connector came after Ehrlich made a direct request to President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, who named the ICC as one of his priority projects. The president's direct attention prompted federal resource agencies to give the project a more timely environmental review."
Construction
- A. I-270/I-370 to east of MD 97 (completed)
- B. East of MD 97 to west of US 29 (completed)
- C. West of US 29 to east of I-95 interchange, and I-95 collector/distributor road improvements along I-95 from MD 212 to just north of the ICC (completed)
- D. Collector/distributor road improvements along I-95 from just north of the ICC to north of MD 198 (construction in progress)
- E. East of I-95 interchange to US 1 (construction to begin in January 2012)
The first of the five contracts was awarded on March 27, 2007. The contract, worth $478.7M, was awarded to Intercounty Constructors, a joint venture of Granite Construction Company, Corman Construction Inc. and G.A. & F.C. Wagman, Inc. Construction on the seven-mile (11 km) section between I-370 and MD 97 began in November 2007.
Contracts for three other phases are active and the fifth phase involving collector-distributor lanes along I-95 has been deferred.
Requests for statements of qualification were issued for Phase A in December 2005, for Phase D in August 2006, and for Phase B in August 2007.
The selection of the second of the five contracts was announced on November 20, 2007. The contract, worth $513.9M, was awarded to IC3, a joint venture of Shirley Contracting Company, LLC; Clark Construction Group, LLC; Guy F. Atkinson Construction, LLC; Facchina Construction Company, Inc. and Trumbull Corporation. This work includes the ICC from a point west of US 29 to I-95, and interchanges with those routes.
On September 4, 2008, The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
reported that the Contract B construction contract had been awarded on July 22, 2008 to a joint venture of Kiewit, Corman Construction, and G.A. & F.C. Wagman, at a total cost of about $559.7 million—reportedly 22% higher than previous estimates. The Post story went on to say that protest of this contract award was filed on July 30, 2008 by a joint venture that was not selected, though the bid price from the rejected group was lower. This protest may delay the start of construction on Contract B. On October 15, 2008, the Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
reported that the protest was denied by state procurement officer Robert P. Gay and that the losing proposer will file an appeal with the Maryland State Board of Contract Appeals.
On September 12, 2008, the Post reported that Contract D ran into funding issues which will delay its construction.
Contract D is associated with the proposed new interchange of I-95 and Contee Road (not part of the ICC). SHA
Maryland State Highway Administration
The Maryland State Highway Administration is the state agency responsible for maintaining Maryland numbered highways outside of Baltimore City...
Administrator Neil J. Pedersen stated that the "service roads can be delayed until the I-95 interchange has been built at Contee Road."
The first segment opened on February 23, 2011, ahead of its projected spring 2011 opening. No tolls were charged on the date of opening to March 6, 2011. On the opening morning, over 10,000 vehicles used the highway, and it went on to draw in 30,000 vehicles per day. However, after the toll-free period, the tollway has not met initial traffic projections. During the first week of May, the tollway drew 11,490 vehicles per day, which is much less than the 21,000 projected. As a result, the state is launching a $1.4 million advertising campaign to promote the new highway. The second segment of the highway, from MD 97
Maryland Route 97
Maryland Route 97 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The route runs from U.S. Route 29 in Silver Spring, Montgomery County north to the Pennsylvania border in Carroll County, where the road continues into that state as Pennsylvania Route 97...
to I-95
Interstate 95 in Maryland
Interstate 95 in Maryland is a major highway that runs diagonally from northeast to southwest, from Maryland's border with Delaware, to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, briefly entering the District of Columbia before reaching Virginia...
opened on November 22, 2011, and can be driven toll-free through December 4, 2011. The highway is expected to be extended to US 1 as late as 2014.
Funding
The $2.56 billion project is being financed from several sources, including the Maryland Transportation AuthorityMaryland Transportation Authority
The Maryland Transportation Authority is an independent state agency responsible for financing, constructing, operating, and maintaining eight toll facilities, currently consisting of two toll roads, two tunnels, and four bridges in Maryland...
(MdTA) revenue bonds, $1,232,500,000 (50.39%), GARVEE bonds $750,000,000 (30.66%), Maryland General Fund $264,910,000 (10.83%), Maryland Transportation Trust Fund $180,000,000 (7.36%), and Special Federal Funds $18,500,000 (0.76%)
Opposition
MD 200 has gained opposition from several groups, including the Maryland General AssemblyMaryland General Assembly
The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is a bicameral body. The upper chamber, the Maryland State Senate, has 47 representatives and the lower chamber, the Maryland House of Delegates, has 141 representatives...
and the Prince George's County Council. Proponents of the highway have claimed that it will improve the flow of interregional traffic, relieving traffic congestion
Traffic congestion
Traffic congestion is a condition on road networks that occurs as use increases, and is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. The most common example is the physical use of roads by vehicles. When traffic demand is great enough that the interaction...
on local roads. Opponents of the highway have claimed that the road will (with a few limited exceptions) harm significant traffic flow characteristics (such as increasing drive times, congestion, and costs in the form of tolls), will harm the environment (with air, sea and land impacts), and will disrupt established communities through which it passes. Many of these assertions against the ICC were rebutted in detail in an appendix of the ICC's Final Environmental Impact Statement
Environmental impact statement
An environmental impact statement , under United States environmental law, is a document required by the National Environmental Policy Act for certain actions "significantly affecting the quality of the human environment". An EIS is a tool for decision making...
(FEIS).
Members of the Maryland General Assembly stated opposition in the Spring 2008 and Spring 2009 sessions, the 1998 session, and back to 1979, when a bill introduced in the General Assembly by Delegate Robin Ficker
Robin Ficker
Robin Ficker is an American attorney, real estate broker, political activist, and sports heckler who lives in Boyds, Maryland.-Education and professional career:...
proposed to eliminate funding for a study of the ICC and the never-built Rockville Facility highway project.
In 1980, a bill proposed by Delegate Idamae Garrott to forbid the Maryland Department of Transportation from even studying the matter of new highways running east and west between Montgomery and Prince George's Counties was tabled by the Montgomery County Delegation.
In the 1998 session, House Bill 817 was introduced to prohibit MDOT from spending funds or granting approvals to the ICC project, and House Bill 905 was intended to stop the operation of a toll highway altogether. Both bills failed to pass. In 2004, House Bill 732 proposed a similar statement to House Bill 817, extended to include the MdTA. The 2007 Special Session saw the offering of House Bill 37 to prevent construction of the road. Both of these bills also failed to pass. In the 2008 session, two bills proposing to cancel or delay the project were introduced – House Bill 1416 and House Bill 1471. House Bill 1471 proposed to eliminate funding for the road, and, if it had passed, would trigger "liquidated damage clauses that would require it to pay the contractors an estimated $80.0 million upon cancellation of the contracts," according to the Fiscal Note prepared by the state's Department of Legislative Services. Both bills failed.
In the 2009 session, a bill proposing to cancel funding for the ICC was pre-filed by Delegate Barbara A. Frush – House Bill 27. This bill had not attracted any co-sponsors nor had it been scheduled for a hearing. A similar bill, Senate Bill 753, was filed in the Maryland Senate by Sen. E. J. Pipkin and others. The Maryland Politics Watch blog opined that Pipkin's co-sponsorship of SB 753 may be related to his possible desire to run again for the U.S. House of Representatives Maryland District 1
Maryland's 1st congressional district
Maryland's 1st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Maryland. The district encompasses the entire Eastern Shore, including Salisbury, as well as parts of Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Harford counties....
seat. Both bills failed in the 2009 session. House Bill 27 received an unfavorable report from the House of Delegates Appropriations Committee on March 28, 2009; and no action was taken on Senate Bill 753 prior to adjournment on April 13, 2009, though a hearing was scheduled on March 18, 2009 before the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee.
The position of the County Council of Prince George's County
Prince George's County, Maryland
Prince George's County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, immediately north, east, and south of Washington, DC. As of 2010, it has a population of 863,420 and is the wealthiest African-American majority county in the nation....
in opposition to the ICC has been repeatedly cited by opposition groups, and its 2003 resolution on the subject, CR-32-2003, was adopted on June 10, 2003, where it called for alternatives to the road.
In 2007, the Prince George's County Council passed resolution CR-59-2007, which repeats much of what was stated in CR-32-2003, including the language endorsing the ICC in Prince George's County.
In November 2006, environmental groups announced that they were preparing to file suit in order to delay or stop the project, and
lawsuits aimed at halting construction were filed by environmental groups and affected residents, assisted in part by pro bono legal counsel from the Institute for Public Representation of the Georgetown University Law Center. One of those lawsuits was originally filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (possibly as part of a forum shopping
Forum shopping
Forum shopping is the informal name given to the practice adopted by some litigants to get their legal case heard in the court thought most likely to provide a favorable judgment...
effort to avoid having the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals
United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit is a federal court located in Richmond, Virginia, with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:*District of Maryland*Eastern District of North Carolina...
hear the case on appeal - though the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit known informally as the D.C. Circuit, is the federal appellate court for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Appeals from the D.C. Circuit, as with all the U.S. Courts of Appeals, are heard on a...
, which would have heard any appeals from the D.C. federal court, had ruled against the Sierra Club and allied groups on similar legal issues in reversing a lower court on a case involving the proposal to reconstruct and widen the Woodrow Wilson Bridge
Woodrow Wilson Bridge
The Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge is a bascule bridge that spans the Potomac River between the independent city of Alexandria, Virginia and Oxon Hill in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. While over the water near the Virginia shore, it crosses the southern tip of the District of...
in 1999) but Judge Gladys Kessler
Gladys Kessler
Gladys Kessler is an American jurist who sits on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. She was nominated to the court by President Bill Clinton, and confirmed in July 1994....
of the D.C. federal court ordered the matter transferred to federal court in Maryland on May 17, 2007 and the suits were consolidated. After hearings in October 2007, both lawsuits were dismissed in their entirety on November 8, 2007 by Judge Alexander Williams, Jr.
Alexander Williams, Jr.
Alexander Williams, Jr. is a United States federal judge.Born in Washington, D.C., Williams received a B.A. from Howard University in 1970 and a J.D. from Howard University School of Law in 1973. He was a law clerk, Hon. James H. Taylor, Seventh Judicial Circuit of Maryland from 1973 to 1974...
of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
United States District Court for the District of Maryland
The United States District Court for the District of Maryland is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Maryland....
in a 105-page memorandum opinion.
The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun is the U.S. state of Maryland’s largest general circulation daily newspaper and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries....
described the decision handed down by the court as a "victory for both Governor Martin O'Malley
Martin O'Malley
Martin Joseph O'Malley is an American Democratic politician who is currently serving as the 61st Governor of Maryland. Previously, he served as the mayor of Baltimore from 1999 to 2007. He is currently the chairman of the Democratic Governors Association.-Early life, education and career:O'Malley...
, who backs construction of the road, and a measure of vindication for former Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, who made it the top transportation priority of his administration."
After the opinion was released, environmental groups opposed to the ICC stated that they would "consider their legal options before deciding whether to continue their battle"
and some homeowners near the selected route expressed disagreement with the ruling of the court. On January 7, 2008, it was announced that Environmental Defense and the Sierra Club would appeal Judge Williams' decision to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit is a federal court located in Richmond, Virginia, with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:*District of Maryland*Eastern District of North Carolina...
in Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, Virginia. In April 2008, persons and groups opposed to the ICC held an "Irish wake" to draw attention to the impact of the ICC, and an op-ed in The Diamondback
The Diamondback
The Diamondback is the independent student newspaper of the University of Maryland, College Park. It was founded in 1910 as The Triangle and renamed in 1921 in honor of a local reptile, the Diamondback terrapin...
was printed which raised objections to the ICC.
In June 2008, protests against the ICC were held at Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary School in Silver Spring. The participants claimed that ICC construction should be halted because of air pollution impacts on pupils at the school, though it was reported that Governor O'Malley has no plans to do so. In August 2008, The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun is the U.S. state of Maryland’s largest general circulation daily newspaper and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries....
published a letter to the editor from the executive director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth calling on the Maryland Department of Transportation
Maryland Department of Transportation
The Maryland Department of Transportation is a government agency in the U.S. state of Maryland. MDOT is overseen by Transportation Secretary Beverley K. Swaim-Staley, who replaced John Porcari in 2009 upon the latter's appointment as Deputy Secretary of the United States Department of...
to "cancel the ICC." In September 2008, The Sun's
The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun is the U.S. state of Maryland’s largest general circulation daily newspaper and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries....
columnist Dan Rodricks wrote an anti-ICC opinion piece asserting that the ICC was the "Intercounty Anachronism". Rodricks' column was first rebutted by a letter to the editor by Montgomery County Councilmember Nancy Floreen (D-At Large) and then in a longer op-ed by SHA Administrator Neil Pedersen. Also in September 2008, The Gazette
The Gazette (Maryland)
The Gazette publishes weekly community newspapers serving Montgomery, Frederick, Prince George's and Carroll counties in Maryland, including a subscription-based weekend edition covering business and politics throughout the state. The group of papers consistently wins awards from the Suburban...
published an op-ed by state delegate Heather R. Mizeur (D-District 20) suggesting that the ICC be canceled. The Mizeur op-ed was rebutted in a response (also published by The Gazette
The Gazette (Maryland)
The Gazette publishes weekly community newspapers serving Montgomery, Frederick, Prince George's and Carroll counties in Maryland, including a subscription-based weekend edition covering business and politics throughout the state. The group of papers consistently wins awards from the Suburban...
) by Neil Pedersen in October 2008.
In November 2008, it was announced that Environmental Defense had dropped its appeal with the Fourth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit is a federal court located in Richmond, Virginia, with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:*District of Maryland*Eastern District of North Carolina...
of the decision handed down by Judge Williams of the U.S. District Court for Maryland
United States District Court for the District of Maryland
The United States District Court for the District of Maryland is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Maryland....
about a year earlier. In exchange for dropping the suit, the State Highway Administration agreed to fund new emissions-reduction technology used by public school buses in Montgomery County; and the SHA will also "sponsor a three-year study that involves installing air quality monitors along a major highway selected for its similar characteristics to the ICC and I-95." Press releases were issued by the State Highway Administration
Maryland State Highway Administration
The Maryland State Highway Administration is the state agency responsible for maintaining Maryland numbered highways outside of Baltimore City...
and Environmental Defense discussing the details of the legal settlement.
Environmental mitigation
A major component of the ICC is environmental mitigationEnvironmental mitigation
Environmental mitigation, compensatory mitigation, or mitigation banking, are terms used primarily by the United States government and the related environmental industry to describe projects or programs intended to offset known impacts to an existing historic or natural resource such as a stream,...
. In addition to work taking place near and in the right-of-way of the ICC, there are over 50 "off-site environmental and community improvement projects" that will be funded as part of the ICC engineering and construction budget.
In a letter to the editor of The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun is the U.S. state of Maryland’s largest general circulation daily newspaper and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries....
, David Marks, a former official with the Maryland Department of Transportation
Maryland Department of Transportation
The Maryland Department of Transportation is a government agency in the U.S. state of Maryland. MDOT is overseen by Transportation Secretary Beverley K. Swaim-Staley, who replaced John Porcari in 2009 upon the latter's appointment as Deputy Secretary of the United States Department of...
, wrote that the SHA project team "...had the foresight to require substantial environmental improvements as part of the project, and they insisted on broad public input..."
One component of the mitigation is the replacement of parkland taken for the ICC with new land.
Replacement lands intended to compensate for these losses include a large parcel of land in the Boyds
Boyds, Maryland
Boyds, Maryland is an unincorporated community in rural Montgomery County, Maryland, located north of Washington, DC. Its ZIP Code is 20841.According to the United States 2000 Census, the ZIP Code Tabulation Area for the town of Boyds covers an area of and has a population of 2,025...
area of Montgomery County owned by the Eugene B. Casey Foundation. However, the trustees of the Casey Foundation did not agree to the purchase of this parcel,
so the State Highway Administration acquired the land by condemnation and the matter was reported as resolved in June 2008. In July 2008, controversy was reported on a similar subject. A 118 acre (0.47752948 km²) parcel of land near the intersection of MD 198
Maryland Route 198
Maryland Route 198 is an east–west state highway in the central part of the U.S. state of Maryland that connects Fort Meade at Maryland Route 32 to Maryland Route 28 and Maryland Route 650 near Spencerville.-Spencerville Road:...
and Peach Orchard Road which had been condemned by the SHA in 1997 for possible use as the so-called Northern Alignment (Corridor 2) was conveyed to the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission is a bi-county agency that administers parks and planning in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties in Maryland.-History:...
to compensate for parkland which will be taken by the ICC. The former owner, Winchester Homes, filed a lawsuit contending that the SHA must offer to sell this land back to Winchester, and in May 2008, Judge S. Michael Pincus of the Montgomery County Circuit Court ruled that "the SHA was contractually obligated to offer Winchester Homes the chance to buy back the property." It was further reported that the state filed an appeal in June 2008.
In the February 2008 edition of the Successes in Stewardship newsletter, the Federal Highway Administration
Federal Highway Administration
The Federal Highway Administration is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two "programs," the Federal-aid Highway Program and the Federal Lands Highway Program...
stated:
Since environmental impacts were the major barrier to prior ICC planning efforts, the third EIS team redefined the project-development approach to explicitly include environmental stewardship as part of the project's stated purpose and need. In order to fulfill the ICC's stated purpose "to help restore the natural, human, and cultural environments in the project area from the adverse effects of past development," lead-agency staff used context-sensitive design approaches to minimize or altogether avoid adverse impacts to wetlands and streams in the development of project alternatives.
At least one section of the ICC was re-routed from the master-planned route to reduce environmental impact, though the re-routing led to additional residences having to be condemned as a result.
Eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina
Terrapene carolina carolina
The eastern box turtle is a subspecies within a group of hinge-shelled turtles, normally called box turtles. T. c. carolina is native to an eastern part of the United States....
) in the path of the ICC will be located with the aid of dogs trained to find them by scent and moved to other locations in Montgomery County near Boyds
Boyds, Maryland
Boyds, Maryland is an unincorporated community in rural Montgomery County, Maryland, located north of Washington, DC. Its ZIP Code is 20841.According to the United States 2000 Census, the ZIP Code Tabulation Area for the town of Boyds covers an area of and has a population of 2,025...
and Brookeville
Brookeville, Maryland
Brookeville is a town located twenty miles north of Washington, D.C. and two miles north of Olney in northeastern Montgomery County, Maryland. Brookeville was settled by Quakers late in the 18th century, and was formally incorporated as a town in 1808...
.
In a letter to the editor of The Gazette, SHA
Maryland State Highway Administration
The Maryland State Highway Administration is the state agency responsible for maintaining Maryland numbered highways outside of Baltimore City...
Administrator Neil Pedersen enumerated a list of environmental mitigation and community enhancements that SHA is funding as part of constructing the ICC.
The ICC is likely to force changes to the 14th hole of the Cross Creek Golf Club, which straddles the border between Montgomery County and Prince George's County. However, it was reported that the 14th hole was surveyed incorrectly, and part of it was mistakenly located on land set aside for the ICC.
In January 2009, it was reported that Eyes of Paint Branch (a group that has opposed the ICC) had recently demanded of the SHA that the contractors working to build the ICC comply with Montgomery County's regulations for the Upper Paint Branch
Paint Branch
Paint Branch is a stream that flows through Montgomery County and Prince George's County, Maryland. It is a tributary of the Northeast Branch, which flows to the Anacostia River, Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay....
Special Protection Area, which the State of Maryland has no legal obligation to follow.
Construction of the ICC has forced the National Capital Trolley Museum
National Capital Trolley Museum
The National Capital Trolley Museum is a non-profit organization that operates historic trolleys for the public on a regular schedule. It is located at 1313 Bonifant Road,Colesville, Maryland USA.-History:...
to relocate its car barns, shops, visitors center, and part of its track a short distance to the north. In 2006, the museum's development director made a public plea for relocation help and coordination in a Washington Post op-ed column. The museum suspended operations for relocation in December 2008 and resumed trolley rides in January 2010. In August 2009, the SHA held a public forum at the new and relocated trolley museum
National Capital Trolley Museum
The National Capital Trolley Museum is a non-profit organization that operates historic trolleys for the public on a regular schedule. It is located at 1313 Bonifant Road,Colesville, Maryland USA.-History:...
to describe the environmental mitigation aspects of the ongoing ICC construction project.
A major environmental concern along the entire ICC project is the impact of stormwater
Stormwater
Stormwater is water that originates during precipitation events. It may also be used to apply to water that originates with snowmelt that enters the stormwater system...
runoff
Urban runoff
Urban runoff is surface runoff of rainwater created by urbanization. This runoff is a major source of water pollution in many parts of the United States and other urban communities worldwide.-Overview:...
on creek
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
s and stream
Stream
A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
s, during and after construction. Techniques and technologies to treat such water are known as best management practices (BMPs)
Best management practice for water pollution
Best Management Practices is a term used in the United States and Canada to describe a type of water pollution control. Historically the term has referred to auxiliary pollution controls in the fields of industrial wastewater control and municipal sewage control, while in stormwater management ...
. State-of-the-art BMPs used along the ICC's construction project were described in an article in Land and Water magazine. Some of the methods being used to control runoff were described in a The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun is the U.S. state of Maryland’s largest general circulation daily newspaper and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries....
"On the Outdoors" column, published after the writer toured several work areas along the ICC's right-of-way:
The ICC project employs teams of "stormbusters" to put down straw and grass seed and erect plastic silt fences in construction areas before it rains to prevent erosion. Solar-powered stream monitors give Baker and enforcement personnel a real-time reading of water conditions. Paved storm-water ditches in older neighborhoods abutting the highway will be replaced by grass-lined swales that will filter and cool the water before it enters tributaries.
The Sun column went on to describe financial incentives that will be paid to construction contractors that meet environmental goals and requirements.
As part of construction work, several archaeological sites have been found in the path of the ICC, including a Native American site near Georgia Avenue and Norbeck Road that contains artifacts dating to the Stone Age. and near US 29, the 19th century homestead of a freed slave, Melinda Jackson, containing numerous artifacts.
Bicycle trail
A bicycle trail has long been planned to run parallel to the highway, both in Montgomery County and Prince George's County.However, in 2004, the SHA announced that it was dropping the ICC bike trail from its own plans due to cost and environmental footprint. Since then, there have been proposals to re-route some sections of the trail over existing surface streets, and to cut back or eliminate the trail for reasons of environmental impact and cost.
This move was harshly criticized by several groups, notably the bicycling community, who as The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
states "have been promised much and given little" pertaining to the bicycle trail; however, it also believes that the county planners are assessing the situation seriously and will make the best decision. Eventually, on September 18, 2008, the Montgomery County Planning Board voted to endorse a trail following a route not adjacent to the ICC's route.
The Planning Board's proposal has been submitted to the Montgomery County Council for consideration as a master plan amendment. Bicycle advocates have stated their opposition to the proposal to remove parts of the bike trail immediately adjacent to the ICC. Later, in March 2009, the Montgomery County Council effectively endorsed both approaches, one being a route that did not follow the ICC (in particular, along the route crossing the Paint Branch) but also keeping in place plans for a path essentially parallel to the highway. Alongside the opening of the highway in 2011, the bike path is open from Needwood Road to MD 28
Maryland Route 28
Maryland Route 28 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The state highway runs from U.S. Route 15 in Point of Rocks east to MD 182 in Norwood. The western portion of MD 28 is a rural highway connecting several villages in southern Frederick County and western Montgomery County...
(Norbeck Road), primarily following the MD 200 right-of-way except for a section which follows Emory Lane to Georgia Avenue.
Exit list
Exit numbers and mile markers are a continuation of I-370 exit numbers.See also
- Förbifart StockholmFörbifart StockholmFörbifart Stockholm is a controversial planned express highway between the E 4/E 20 at Kungens Kurva in the south of Stockholm and the E 4 at Häggvik north of Stockholm. Most of this bypass, more than 17 out of 21 kilometers, is planned to pass through underground tunnels...
, a proposed western bypass motorway around StockholmStockholmStockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden - Interstate 355Interstate 355Interstate 355 , also known as the Veterans Memorial Tollway, is an Interstate Highway and tollway in the western and southwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Like most other toll roads in the northeastern portion of the state, I-355 is maintained by a State Highway Authority...
, a toll road similar to the ICC (in some respects) in the suburbs of ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles... - M-6M-6 (Michigan highway)M-6, or the Paul B. Henry Freeway, is a freeway and state trunkline highway in the United States that serves portions of southern Kent and eastern Ottawa counties south of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although the freeway is named for Paul B. Henry, local residents and the press continue to use the...
, a similar freeway that was built as a toll-free bypass south of Grand Rapids, MichiganGrand Rapids, MichiganGrand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand... - Maryland Route 100Maryland Route 100Maryland Route 100 is a major east–west highway connecting U.S. Route 29 in Ellicott City and MD 177 in Pasadena. MD 100 also connects to Interstate 95 , US 1, the Baltimore-Washington Parkway , and I-97...
, a similar outer beltway segment around Baltimore - Highway 407, a similar toll road through the suburbs of TorontoTorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...