BETHESDA FIRM TO

BUILD NEXT SEGMENT

OF ICC;

NEXT EXIT: BOWIE

First Leg of Future DC Outer Beltway to

Reach U.S. Rt. 1 by 2014

Yesterday's announcement that Bethesda-based contractor ICC Constructors will complete a one mile extension of the ICC from I-95 east to U.S. 1 was another step towards a DC Outer Beltway.

News outlets and public officials, you may note, describe it as the "final" stretch/mile/leg, etc. In reality, this is just the beginning.

Once Route 1 is reached by 2014, further extensions west and east will be inevitable.

Next stop east? Bowie. Write that down. Bowie was long expected to be an exit on the Outer Beltway. Such an extension would revitalize Bowie's economy, and boost its property values.

While the rich pat themselves on the back in their New Urbanism $800,000-and-up transit-oriented condos in high-tax inner suburbs, future Beltways will allow easy movement for middle class workers between their jobs and affordable-yet-desirable single-family home neighborhoods in the exurbs.

Did I just say Beltways?

Surely you don't believe the Outer Beltway is the end?

Beijing has 5 Beltways. 5! And last time I checked, China's economic growth rate is ahead of ours.

Where is the next Beltway?

The Outer Outer Beltway will be what has been known as the Western Bypass. It will sweep westward from I-95, interchange with I-70, pass by southern Frederick County and Clarksburg, crossing the Potomac River near Point of Rocks. In Virginia, it will reach Fredericksburg as it turns southeast. NIMBYs and environmental groups will say it is going to cause sprawl (even as they heartily endorsed MoCo politicians who voted to build a city in the country around the Belward Farm - a city on farmland... now that's sprawl, ladies and gentlemen, and calls for a taking of the Hypocritic Oath!).

In fact, the areas that would be connected by an Outer Outer Beltway are currently growing as much as 800%, according to the latest Census data. That's without any new highways.

Eventually, you can expect yet another outer ring highway, this one reaching Hagerstown and Westminster.

The same politicians who talk about the environment so much are also approving all of their developer buddies' projects that will require these highways.

Mobility and affordable housing are good things. Future highways will be offset by zero-emission vehicles, and growing interest in sustainable local agriculture. This will minimize environmental harm, while expanding support for preservation of farmland.

Considering how long we've waited for the Outer Beltway (I-370) and the Rockville Freeway, future ring highways could be 50 or more years away.

Hopefully, we'll apply the same quick action to those two latter projects that developers forced politicians to apply to the ICC (Konterra) and the Woodrow Wilson Bridge (National Harbor).