In addition to delivering the resolution to the board, Councilmembers Roger Berliner and Marc Elrich participated in the meeting, expending political capital to try and stop a bridge that would provide an economic boon to Montgomery County. The politically-suicidal move left many on the Board scratching their heads. It also again proved that the Council is impotent, even among their Democratic colleagues at the state level, and across the region. Elected officials on the TPB from the cities of Rockville and Gaithersburg, including Rockville Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton (who chairs the TPB) all backed studying the bridge.
Even one of the Council's war-on-cars fellow travelers, Arlington County Board Chair Jay Fisette, was perplexed as to why MoCo councilmembers would oppose objective study of a new bridge. Fisette said he too opposed the bridge, but thought it should be studied like the other projects. COG's own 2012 study showed that 25% of traffic on the American Legion Bridge during rush hour is traveling to, or from, the Dulles area. In addition, 27% of Virginia drivers crossing into Maryland are heading to I-270.
During discussion of the Council resolution earlier this week, Elrich had stated a new crossing was "not in the County's economic interest." This is simply not true, as many CEOs whose firms chose Virginia over Montgomery County have cited our county's lack of direct access to Dulles Airport as one of the deciding factors. Elrich said he wanted to prevent competition with BWI Airport, but BWI - like National Airport - doesn't offer the frequency and scope of international business flights that Dulles does. The largest and most-luxurious aircraft can't even land at BWI and National, but can be accommodated by runways at Dulles.
Councilmember Craig Rice said there was "not any benefit for the upcounty" in building a new bridge. Damascus, Clarksburg and Germantown residents who work in the Dulles area, and parts of Fairfax County, would vehemently disagree. Not to mention that offloading a quarter of the traffic on the American Legion Bridge benefits everyone using I-495 and I-270 during rush hour.
Another false impression was given by Councilmember Sid Katz, who declared, "the reality is, there's no money for this." With a private firm building the highway and bridge as a toll facility, the beauty of it is, very little taxpayer money would be needed. Since the road would most likely be an extension of the ICC/Sam Eig Highway, the private operator could also take control of the ICC, and lower tolls along the length of the route within Maryland.
Of the ten projects approved for study by the TPB, the Potomac River crossing would move the most people in the shortest time, for the least dollar amount per-person. In opposing it, the Council not only again declared war on their own constituents, but are actively trying to prevent congestion relief and job creation within Montgomery County, at the behest of their developer masters who want to use office zones for residential development. Protecting BWI, which can't compete on business flights with Dulles, at their constituents' expense? It sounds like Berliner, George Leventhal and Elrich are running for Baltimore mayor, not Montgomery County Executive.
61 comments:
Attempts at development of a second river crossing have been presented to area governments, including MWCOG, since the early seventies and nothing ever will develop. Why, because of the cost$$$$.
Would you say the council is Jimmy Snuka?
7:37: There doesn't have to be a cost - get a private company to build it, just like the Express Lanes.
7:47: Definitely not. More like the "CNN" wrestler in the Trump GIF.
But Snuka was declared mentally incompetent to stand trial!
"economic boon to Montgomery County"
Complete and utter nonsense. Of all the ridiculous, completely unsubstantiated claims posted on this blog, the ones about the economy are by far the most absurd.
"The politically-suicidal move left many on the Board scratching their heads."
That's hilarious since our next county executive will be one of those two councilmembers.
"It also again proved that the Council is impotent, even among their Democratic colleagues at the state level, and across the region."
Our REPUBLICAN, PRO-BUSINESS GOVERNOR Larry Hogan is against this high-cost/no-benefit proposal. That alone should tell you what a bad idea it is.
If Virginia wants a bridge, they can build it themselves...Oh yeah, their governor isn't interested either. Next.
8:28: They went into the meeting and couldn't convince their mostly Democratic colleagues on the Board to kill the bridge. Impotent.
I have no clue why Hogan is against this if he's pro-business. Anyone who understands international business in 2017 knows you need the international flights of Dulles to compete.
Seems to me that a heliport in downtown Bethesda, connecting to Dulles, would be a much quicker and more cost-effective means of linking corporate executives to international flights than this moribund highway.
"Anyone who understands international business in 2017 knows"
Another little jab at a reader (against Hogan too?) for having a differing opinion.
Always Insulting one's masculinity? Find a thesaurus, many other words are just as effective. Off the top of my head, here's a few: ineffective, powerless, worthless.
Anyone who knows international business most likely owns a car or knows how to use Uber...
What is your experience in "international business", Dyer? Is it any more than your nonexistent experience in domestic business?
Our MoCo Council did look like children among adults at this meeting.
Why not do the study, analyze results and then decide? If results are bad, then raise objections.
The Council needs to be more data driven in their decision making.
Let's do the study!
Good reporting on this. It should also be mentioned that there was a motion at the meeting to remove this one item from the list. It failed, thanks goodness.
BWI has the most passenger traffic of all 3 airports. Elrich etc fail to see how this may HELP BWI by making all those flights accessible to Virginians in Loudoun and Fairfax. It would be an easy drive then -- second bridge crossing to ICC to I-95.
Also what burns me up about Berliner and Elrich is they failed to propose an alternative. Expanding the Am Legion bridge isn't that helpful to Marylanders living in Germantown and Clarksburg who need to get to jobs in Fairfax and Loudoun.
Finally, the proposal is to study MULTIMODAL transporation on the bridge crossing, so it could include a rail or bus line connecting Metro's Dulles station to Shady Grove. I like how Berliner left that out in his objetions, even though he's pointed to public transport as a way to solve this traffic problem.
Personally, I think we need more of both -- more public transport lines, including the Purple Line, and more roads too. The County is growing tremendously and we need to accommodate the residents.
@7:37 Those studies were done before VA-28 and ICC were completed. With those in place, it's a bit less than 10 miles of road to connect them.
Speaking for me, I'm against a new bridge. It would have been a good idea 40 years ago. You're looking at 12-15 years. Where will work/commuting/cars be then? Especially if we live and work in the same community as all the progressives say.
Click on Blogger's "Next Blog" link. It's a hoot. On my first click I got something called "London's Most Dangerous Woman".
Visible in the desktop version, not sure if it's in the mobile version.
@9:49 I doubt we'll see a huge change in the way we work by then. The big changes, brought about by the internet, have already occurred. Lots of people do work from home for example.. but how many more will be able to in the future? And we still need delivery for good we order online, plumbers, landscapers, and places to eat.
11:14am yep. I've last track how often a plumber, contractor, auto service person, etc. calls to say they're delayed on the beltway or 270.
It's also a major quality of life issue for our people. Why can't Berliner see that? The Legion bridge/270 corridor is solid dark red on Google maps every evening. Can someone show Roger how to call up traffic maps?
I think Berliner and crew are trying to screw over the people who live upcounty like Germantown, Clarksburg, and Gaithersburg perhaps because they don't donate to campaigns as much as those downcounty. A 2nd bridge crossing would be mainly for them, and would benefit them greatly -- why not do it?
Last time I looked at a map, BWI was not in the City of Baltimore. However, both Montgomery County and BWI are in the state of Maryland - it's expected that Montgomery County officials would put the interests of Maryland before those of Virginia. "Bawlmer Cartel" is just another one of your silly conspiracy theories.
"Regional leaders delivered a stinging rebuke to the Montgomery County Council this week, approving a new Potomac River crossing study over MoCo councilmembers' objections. The County Council had unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday opposing a new bridge, or even a study of a new bridge. On Wednesday, the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB) of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) met to consider the crossing and 9 other items for study."
Do you understand how the COG works? It is an advisory body. It can "study" the Second Crossing all it wants to, but if Montgomery County and the states of Maryland and Virginia don't want to build it, it won't get built.
I couldn't find anything coming close to a "stinging rebuke". This is all I could find: “'We are not dictating to jurisdictions what they must do,' said Bridget Donnell Newton, the Rockville mayor who serves at the TPB’s chair."
"Regional leaders delivered a stinging rebuke to the Montgomery County Council this week" -Robert Dyer
Plagiarism Alert!!!
"‘It’s a stunning rebuke of Judge Leon,’ County Council President Roger Berliner said [about the US Court of Appeals decision to restore Federal approval to the Purple Line project]."
Here are the actual recommendations of the COG/Transportation Planning Board
It's odd that you never actually link to anything to support what you "report".
11:20: The main topic was the dispute over the bridge, not a comprehensive list of all 10 projects, many of which do not pertain to Montgomery County.
6:40: The significance is that it was critical to get the bridge on the list, so that when we have a new County Council, they can get it built. Putting it on the list after the Council made fools of themselves with a unanimous resolution (which represented the opinion of 9 people, not the residents of Montgomery County) and expended all their political capital at the meeting, was indeed a stinging rebuke.
9:49: The crossing can be built in far less than 12-15 years. A new Council and the Trump administration could expedite the project, much as Ehrlich and George W. Bush did with the ICC, which was built in less than a decade.
6:27: Protecting BWI is a Baltimore priority all the way. Denying access to Dulles is damaging our job creation efforts in Montgomery County, so the Council is throwing us under the bus to protect the old Baltimore/state Democratic machine. Shameful.
8:44: No, it's just a fact that anyone claiming BWI is an international businessperson's dream airport simply doesn't understand international business in the year 2017. BWI is great to take Southwest to Spring Break. To get a non-stop flight to a critical business meeting in India tomorrow morning, not so much.
"Impotent" just happens to be the right word. The Council expends much sound and fury, but ultimately have failed to exact any meaningful change on the major issues of our time. They cannot even persuade their own Democratic colleagues at the state and regional levels to support their positions. Embarrassing.
The new river crossing is never going to happen. It's too expensive and it's not good for Montgomery County. If Virginia wants a MoCo connection so badly let them extend the Purple Line so it meets with Silver. There's your Dulles link.
"A new Council and the Trump administration could expedite the project"
The Trump administration hasn't had much luck expediting anything, other than Trump's own personal business interests, and Russia's interests. And Trump will be out of office and probably in jail before November 2018.
Someone who expects to be taken seriously as a journalist uses the term "bodyslam" in a post.
Seems more like Dyer is seriously butthurt over the US Appeals Court spanking Judge Leon.
"Carrier Cuts 300 Jobs At Factory Where Trump Boasted Of Saving Jobs"
"Republican senators’ failure to repeal Obamacare suggests the party is no closer to working out who it represents, or what it is for"
"'Sometimes I think he's about making Russia great again,' Clapper said of Trump."
Dyer copy-pasted this article to his moribund Same Ig blog in an attempt to revive it. Lol
6:46: Do you not understand that private firms build toll roads and bridges, thereby removing the need to get public funds?
7:28: Is that the same James Clapper who lied under oath to Congress, lied about WMDs, and therefore shares the blame for the so many thousands of soldiers and civilians killed, maimed and injured in the Iraq War? Despicable.
7:36: You apparently missed a second article about the medical pot dispensary in Germantown. LOL, old sport.
7:21: On the contrary, I'm celebrating the victory at the TPB for the new Potomac River crossing. Progress cannot be stopped by small minds like those on the County Council.
Two articles in three weeks, one of which actually is "local" news. Not exactly a "going concern".
wow, what a strange reaction to 7:28's comment. Right to the jugular on Clapper. It's not nice to tick off the IC, current or former.
From the TPB report:
"7. Transit Rail Extensions
• Purple line extension to Tysons (west)"
@ 8:41 - Note that Dyer had nothing to say re Trumpcare or the Carrier layoffs.
"Impotent" just happens to be the right word. The Council...cannot even persuade their own Democratic colleagues at the state and regional levels to support their positions."
Yet Hogan agrees with them on both the Purple Line and the "Second Crossing".
"Montgomery County locks residents out of "open data" on crime"
Yet Dyer locks out his readers from the comments. Lol
Never a glitch, always purposeful.
Why is everyone worried about BWI? It went from #3 in the region (by passenger numbers) 10 years ago to #1 now. A second bridge crossing will _help_ not hurt BWI. The reason is that they have the lowest landing fees of any of the airports, and the most room for expansion. Dulles has high landing fees because they are stuck with the debt of paying off the airtrain between terminals. Reagan is at capacity with no room for growth. BWI is the scrappy upstart that is now dominating.
As for Dyer's claim of the businessman taking a last-minute trip to India, the majority of travel in the US, by far, is domestic. BWI meets that need very well. I travel a lot internationally on business also, and I originate from BWI about half the time because the fares are cheaper. For example, I'm flying to Beijing in business class next month. The direct flights out of Dulles were twice the price compared to flying out of BWI and connecting in Toronto. That's a savings of a few thousand dollars. Same with west coast flights -- I usually fly United's direct flights from BWI to Denver or San Francisco in first class because it's considerably cheaper than those same flights on United from Dulles.
Looks like the Post had an article today about how well BWI is doing compared to the others:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/with-lower-fares-and-more-amenities-bwi-lures-the-dc-regions-travelers/2017/07/21/399f9d62-6713-11e7-a1d7-9a32c91c6f40_story.html?utm_term=.aa9b11f99cf9
@ 8:57 AM : "7. Transit Rail Extensions
• Purple line extension to Tysons (west)"
THIS.
MoCo is in gridlock and it's just getting worse. We need another Potomac River crossing and more connections across the county like the Purple Line.
We're still working with a Metro system that was designed primarily with the idea of getting workers in and out of downtown DC everyday. And Metro still caters to federal workers in their operations.
I haven't seen any decrease in gridlock even with the trends of telecommuting and flexible schedules. Even the "summer lull" of traffic when schools are out and folks are on vacation doesn't exist anymore.
People are looking for solutions, so our Council's plan to block exploring another bridge crossing is alarming. MoCo residents will be looking for new voices and representatives if they keep this up.
We need to spend billions on a new road just to cater to a couple of Fortune 500 executives who want to fly on A380s to get to London, Paris or Dubai.
@12:48 The second bridge crossing is more likely to help the working class people who live in upper MoCo (because they can't afford downcounty) and work in VA.
How about building affordable housing in Westbard instead?
12:48 PM I'm not a CEO or millionaire, but I do often have to use Dulles for business travel. I prefer Reagan National, but it's not always an option. Our people in MoCo are going to Dulles because business requires it.
1:11 PM I appreciate the thought, but Westbard will be in the same gridlock as the rest of the county- even more so with all of the new housing units and no new infrastructure. Also, 1 bedroom MPDUs won't cater to the working class families 1:01 PM refers to. I assume the family friendly EYA townhomes on Westbard will be starting in the millions.
Not all working class are families and not all MPDUs are one bedroom, silly.
3:31 PM I never said either thing was universal. How many affordable townhomes will be created out of the Westbard Plan?
@3:35 This is essentially the argument of the no-bridge people -- we should do smart growth like public transportation and build housing close to Metro, instead of improving roads.
I agree that's a good strategy going forward, but that takes years and years, and what about all the existing homes in places like Clarksburg and Germantown that aren't near any public transportation? It's unrealistic to expect them to sell their homes and move to "smart growth" locations, so we need to have a strategy that improves roads and also public transportation.
A second bridge crossing could easily have a Metro or bus lane to connect the Dulles Airport silver line station to the Shady Grove red line station. Heck, for a lot of people in MoCo, that would be the faster route to any stops on the silver line versus taking it all the way in to Metro center and transferring there.
4:39pm "Smart growth near Metro" in Bethesda usually means small, boutique buildings like the Lauren and Clairborne. Very few units.
Even the new Edgemont development Dyer has been reporting on should have been much higher. It's literally across the street from our Metro station.
All of the new reasonably priced townhomes are in Germantown, Gaithersburg, Clarksburg, Damascus. Those folks need solutions for the 270 mess and a new bridge crossing is part of that solution.
Edgemont is "literally" 1-2 blocks away from the Bethesda Metro station, #UnsignedDyer.
And it was literally built 30 years ago. Is this somehow Hans Riemer's fault?
@4:39: The Corridor Cities Transitway is the answer to the conundrum you describe.
5:38: The Corridor Cities Transitway doesn't connect any better to Silver Line stops in Loudoun and Fairfax than Metro does now, so it is not the answer. The Potomac bridge, by contrast, would directly connect the Metro Red Line to Dulles.
11:09: Two people using "literally" correctly in the right context - what are the chances, right? I just want to know what mental illness you have that makes you state compulsively that the correct use of a term (literally, Freudian slip, etc.) is incorrect.
11:11: Wrong - the Edgemont is adding a whole new building now, and it should have been taller being right across from Metro.
11:34/11:55: Remember, we're talking about international business travel, not Spring Break on Southwest. We could have every single leisure traveler fly out of BWI, and it still wouldn't create a single job in Montgomery County.
We need the business travel access out of Dulles to create those new jobs.
12:13: Where would the bridge for the Purple Line be placed, and how much would it cost (unlike a toll road, private companies can't make a profit building transit facilities with private money alone)? In fact, extending Metro Red Line via the new Potomac crossing is the more affordable option.
8:41: It's also not nice to lose civilian control of your intelligence services and military, unless you're a banana republic. Current situation is a threat to our Republic. Score another one for Russia - the elected leader there actually has control of his intelligence agencies.
Any praise for Clapper sounds like his old buddy George ("the W. stands for War Crimes") Bush: "Heckuva job, Brownie!"
I'm going to emphatically state that you are clueless on the workings of intelligence community and of your assessment. Many people employed within the IC live right in our area.
@5:38 Corridor Cities Transitway seems like sort of a joke to me. According to their site, it would be a 38-minute trip from Metropolitan Grove to Shady Grove station and buses would be spaced up to 15 minutes apart during off-peak. That just doesn't seem usable to me for daily transportation.
I understand why it would take so long -- about half the route is on existing roads, and it makes a very circuitous route.. but I wonder if this is worth it then, especially for $545million.
I guess we could just throw a few Ride-On buses on the same route, and see if it's popular, then upgrade parts of it going forward.
9:07: I'm sure they do, and it's unlikely they are involved with the high-level leaks from the CIA, Mueller and others.
12:56: I actually studied this a few years ago, and found that even an existing Ride-On bus from Germantown near Clarksburg (Milestone) makes the trip to Shady Grove faster than the "modern" BRT CCT proposed.
So I think you are correct about just running Ride On at this point, when they abandoned the superior rail option.
Why can't they Hold the Purple Line and other future mass transit projects in Hostage Indefinitely until the Potomac River Crossing(Techway) and other Major Highway Projects in Montgomery County are Approved and COMPLETED.....
There's no reason to study the second crossing until Virginia is willing to contribute half. Even then, I wonder whether Maryland's money would be better used attracting better international service to BWI, which had rail service from downtown Washington decades before Dulles will. The ICC should have clinched the MoCo market for BWI.
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