Meeting held in Silver Spring will be streamed live online at MontgomeryPlanningBoard.org
SILVER SPRING, MD – The 10-member governing body of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) will receive a briefing by the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) on Wednesday, November 20 at 10 a.m. at the Montgomery County Planning Department headquarters (8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD). MDOT SHA staff will provide updates on the Interstate 495 and Interstate 270 Managed Lanes Study.
At the full Commission meeting on November 20, 2019, the Maryland Department of Transportation and State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) will brief the Commission on:
- MDOT SHA’s analysis and conclusion that the MD 200 (ICC) Diversion Alternative does not merit moving forward into the Alternatives Retained for Detailed Study (ARDS); and
- MDOT SHA’s decision to eliminate Alternative 5: One-Lane HOT Managed Lane Network from the previously proposed ARDS.
MDOT SHA is seeking M-NCPPC concurrence on the Revised ARDS as the next step in the NEPA process for the I-495 & I-270 Managed Lanes Study.
M-NCPPC voted 9 to 1 on non-concurrence on the ARDS at a previous briefing in June 2019.
The upcoming meeting is open to the public, but no testimony will be taken. The briefing will be streamed live at MontgomeryPlanningBoard.org and will be available on-demand.
For more information
The public and other interested parties are encouraged to comment online at the study’s website ), 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 I-495 and I-270 Managed Lanes Study
The I-495 and I-270 Managed Lanes Study was initiated by MDOT SHA as an 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 Exit 7 on the Maryland side of I-495/I-95 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, and under Executive Order the agency is tasked with reaching permit stage in two years.
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 consist of a highway facility or set of lanes where operating strategies are used to control the number of vehicles using the lanes at any given time. Any selected build alternative is likely to have significant impacts on parkland and the associated facilities, programs and natural and cultural resources in both Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties as well as on communities in those counties. Learn more about the MDOT SHA Managed Lanes Study.
The Commission’s project coordinators are Carol Rubin for Montgomery County and Debra Borden for Prince George’s County.
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.
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.