VIRGINIA HOUSE

RULES COMMITTEE

TO RECEIVE

NEW POTOMAC RIVER

CROSSING STUDY BILL

TODAY

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive!!!

Del. J. Randall Minchew's bill requiring a Virginia Department of Transportation study of extending Route 28 into Montgomery County, MD, advances in Richmond today.

House Bill HJR-131 was approved by a House subcommittee last Thursday, and arrives at the full House Rules Committee this afternoon at 4:00 PM.

A defacto step towards completion of a DC Outer Beltway, the bill also mandates that the state request Interstate status for Route 28. Although the logical connection today would be Sam Eig Highway (I-370) on the Maryland side, it is interesting to note that Route 28 was originally destined to connect with the never-built Rockville Freeway near Riverbend Park, via a six-lane Outer Beltway atop a dam.

Minchew's bill passed the House Rules Studies Subcommittee by a 4-1 vote last Thursday. Del. Kenneth Alexander (D - District 89) cast the lone dissenting vote. Opposition is strong among environmentalists and a faction of developers who profit from traffic gridlock via "smart" growth policies.

But the growing support for new Potomac River crossings reflects the acceptance of reality: cars aren't going away, and will only get cleaner. And while developers and the politicians they get elected claim they're building to serve the young, the elderly, and young families "seeking vibrant urban lifestyles and walkable communities," data shows the opposite. With the exception of the District itself, those demographics are fleeing the inner suburbs for Loudoun, Stafford, Frederick, Carroll and Washington counties.

In addition to the Rockville Freeway, M-83 Midcounty Highway Extended, and the completion of I-70 to I-170 and I-95 in Baltimore, new Potomac River crossings remain essential missing pieces in our region's transportation system.

For the sake of jobs, and quality of life, let's hope the committee approves this bill and advances it to the next step in the process today.