IS MTA ROBBING THE

PURPLE LINE TO GET

MORE MONEY FOR

BALTIMORE RED LINE?

Connecticut Avenue, CCT Tunnel Latest on

Chopping Block as Projects Duel for

Same Federal Funds

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive!!!

Is the Maryland MTA robbing Peter to pay Paul?

The long-delayed Purple Line project is suddenly suffering a death by a thousand cuts. One bombshell drops after another. Politicians' iron-clad promise that the Capital Crescent Trail would be rebuilt as good or better was the first to go.

There are those promoting the light rail project who don't care how the rail or the trail project turn out; they simply want to develop the old neighborhoods east of downtown Silver Spring. Like the poorly-planned Metro to Dulles, it doesn't matter if people use it, it just needs to be there to give TOD zoning and density for developers.

Some of those said, giving up the trail-in-the-tunnel means getting grade-separation at Connecticut Avenue.

By the end of the week, the MTA had jettisoned that bridge, too.

First they put the bikes in the street. Now they're putting the trains in the street. Stop the train, I'll just get out and walk to New Carrollton!

It's strange that there are suddenly so many Purple Line surprises, and the grand bargain between transit advocates, developers, CCT advocates, cyclists, environmentalists and the MoCo political establishment is on the verge of unraveling.

Even stranger, why can't the public read these documents?

"I'm not ready to talk about that," the MTA spokesman replied to a councilmember's Connecticut Avenue query.

Well, considering we pay the salaries and for the preparation of these reports, we ought to be able to know the contents.

That aside, is the long-questioned strategy of Maryland applying for federal cash for 3 rapid transit systems starting to collapse?

The Baltimore Red Line (which I have supported for 6 years) price tag has gotten bigger every year.

In 2007, we were told it would cost $1.6 billion.

By 2010, it was $1.8 billion.

But some estimates price it as over $2 billion.

Labor costs are a major part of that, and Maryland (like Montgomery County) self-inflicts much of the pain with union labor requirements. This makes hefty capital projects even more financially terrifying. But it is self-defeating, because less projects get built, and ultimately, far fewer jobs are created.

The other big cost is from the underground section of the Red Line. I actually support that plan, too. The Red Line is one of the few - and possibly only - subway projects nationwide. Although it is light rail, rather than heavy rail like Metro, it will go under the busiest part of downtown Baltimore. It will also provide easy transfer to Baltimore's modest Metro subway system.

Of course, we were told here that, even though a subway made sense for the Purple Line once it leaves the Georgetown Branch right-of-way, it was too costly.

I would oppose changing the Red Line to an at-grade, street-running tram.

But I wonder if these big Purple Line cuts aren't being made to save cash for the Red Line. Montgomery County is more powerful in Annapolis today, but Baltimore is still No. 1.

The Red Line is arguably higher-priority than the Purple Line. It will connect the downtown with the high-growth (or, at least, what passes for growth in Charm City these days) areas eastward, such as Fells Point and Canton. It will also create a rail transit U-turn connection between Johns Hopkins' main campus and their Bayview facilities.

West Baltimore is another story!

Many residents there oppose the current Red Line proposal. At this stage, developers want the Red Line there so they can "redevelop" the area. Which means that - like Long Branch and Takoma/Langley, etc. on the Purple Line - current residents and businesses will be forced out by higher rents.

There are two more critical projects needed in Baltimore.

First is to connect I-70 to I-170 in the Route 40 corridor, and I-70 to I-95.

These are connections that have to be made to handle the truck traffic in and out of the Port of Baltimore, after the modified Panama Canal opens in 2014. Truck tolls could be collected - some for transportation funds, and some for the neighborhood that I-170 passes through.

These funds could help keep existing buildings in good shape, provide small business loans to residents, fund scholarships to help young people become anything from chefs to astronauts, and help hire more police officers to combat crime. Nothing more needs to be demolished. I-170, called "The Highway to Nowhere," is a beautiful piece of classic urban trench freeway. It's there. Let's use it, not waste it. Allow it to generate cash that can be put directly into the hands of residents there, who have been failed by the city for decades.

I-170 can move West Baltimore forward. It can also carry the Red Line west to I-70 and the Park and Ride. Yes, it will go through Leakin Park. But Leakin Park is a highway facility. Moreover, if funds from I-170 and I-70 truck tolls help start and expand homegrown businesses in West Baltimore, I-170 will bring customers into the neighborhood.

I can't believe the Greater Baltimore Committee isn't talking about this, especially with the port boom nearly upon us.

It turns out that "Highway to Nowhere," once connected to I-70 as planned, is actually a highway to somewhere: a gateway to the American West, where I-70 terminates in Utah.

The other priority is an extension of Metro from Greenbelt to BWI, creating a rapid transit connection between the Washington and Baltimore regions.

I support all of these projects, and the Red Line. Baltimore needs a boost.

But doing the right thing in Charm City shouldn't mean weakening the Purple Line project here.