The community is invited to learn more by attending the public meeting in the auditorium of the Montgomery County Planning Department headquarters
SILVER SPRING, MD – The governing body of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) will be briefed by officials from the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) on the Interstate-495 and Interstate-270 Managed Lanes Study. The Managed Lanes Study is the first step in the MDOT SHA initiative to develop a traffic relief plan to reduce congestion on two of the state’s most heavily traveled highways.
The M-NCPPC is being briefed as part of the public outreach process for this study. The Commission is considered to be a Cooperating Agency as the steward of parkland and natural resources throughout the study area. The Commission is also reviewing the project as the regional planning agency for Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties.
The MDOT SHA briefing is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, July 18 at approximately 9:30 a.m. during the M-NCPPC full commission meeting in the auditorium of the Montgomery Regional Office Building, the headquarters of the Montgomery County Planning Department (8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD). The community is invited to attend the briefing, but this meeting is not open for public comment. Additional meetings will take place in the future through the two counties’ agencies.
Details:
Briefing on I-495 and I-270 Managed Lanes Study at M-NCPPC Full Commission Meeting
Wednesday, July 18, meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. and briefing will start at approximately 9:45 a.m.
Montgomery Regional Office Building (8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD)
Watch online at montgomeryplanningboard.org
This project is currently in the early study stage with approximately 15 alternatives being considered under criteria that will be presented during the July 18 briefing. The goal is to determine the limited alternatives to be chosen for more detailed study after a period of public outreach. Among the alternatives are combinations of high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes, managed toll lanes and reversible lanes, all with the potential for some transit to be incorporated.
Background:
The I-495 and I-270 Managed Lanes Study was initiated by MDOT SHA as the first element of a broader plan to relieve traffic congestion on the busiest routes in the region. The study considers improvements along I-495 (Capital Beltway), as well as along I-270 (Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Highway). The Managed Lanes Study will evaluate a range of alternatives within the specific area of I-495 from the Virginia side of the American Legion Bridge in Fairfax County to the Maryland side of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and on I-270 from I-495 to I-370. A notice of intent to complete an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Managed Lanes Study area was issued by the Federal Highway Administration on March 16, 2018.
MDOT SHA proposes that the purpose of the I-495 and I-270 Managed Lanes Study is to develop a travel demand management solution that addresses congestion, improve trip reliability on I-495 and I-270 within the study limits and enhance existing and planned multimodal mobility and connectivity. MDOT SHA has expressed its intent is to utilize a public-private partnership (P3) in order to design, construct, operate and maintain any proposed infrastructure improvements.
Managed lanes are an option to provide travelers with a choice of single-occupant vehicle (SOV) travel in specific areas of roadways. Any selected build alternative is likely to have significant effects on parkland and the associated facilities, programs and natural and cultural resources in both counties as well as significant community impacts. In order to address the impact of the alternatives, the Managed Lanes Study Area will ultimately evaluate properties and resources within approximately 300 feet of the existing I-495 and I-270 highway centerline. The magnitude of the impacts is currently being evaluated by staff in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties and will be presented to the M-NCPPC as details become available.
Learn more about the MDOT SHA Managed Lanes Study.
For more information:
The public and other interested parties are encouraged to comment online at the study’s website (495-270-p3.com), by email at 495-270-P3@sha.state.md.us or hard copy during the public workshops held by the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration. Hard copy comments can also be mailed to the I-495 and I-270 P3 Project Office at the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration, 707 North Calvert Street, Mail Stop P-601, Baltimore, MD 21202.
About The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) is a bi-county agency empowered by the State of Maryland in 1927 to acquire, develop, maintain and administer a regional system of parks within Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties, and to provide land use planning for the physical development of Prince George’s and Montgomery counties. In addition, the agency gained responsibility for the public recreation program in Prince George’s County in 1970.
Governing Body
The governing body of M-NCPPC consists of 10 members, five appointed by Montgomery County and five by Prince George’s County. The Commission coordinates and acts on matters of interest to both counties, and meets at least once a month. The members of the Commission from each county serve on separate county planning boards to facilitate, review and administer the matters affecting their respective counties.