In times when radical ideologues put political whims and developer interests above their constituents, and are derelict in their duty to provide essential infrastructure, it's worthwhile to review the facts.
1. The Montrose Parkway, including the Montrose Parkway East, is arguably the infrastructure linchpin of the White Flint sector plan.
2. Opponents often claim it is incompatible with the White Flint street grid, which misses the critical point: Montrose Parkway is not and was never meant to be part of the White Flint urban street grid. Its primary function, in fact, is to keep traffic that is not destined for White Flint off of that local street grid. That actually makes it safer for the pedestrians and cyclists we are encouraging to use those alternate modes of transportation to get around the urbanized Pike District.
3. Montrose Parkway, especially including the eastern extension, is critical to the success of retail and restaurant businesses in White Flint. The parkway's secondary function is to bring patrons of the businesses in the Pike District who live elsewhere in the County into the "downtown" from places like Wheaton, Aspen Hill and the I-270 corridor. Increasing trip times will only send those drivers to other commercial destinations. With a private-sector economy increasingly termed "moribund" by even the most progressive voices in the County, a loss of more than 2000 retail jobs since 2000 (according to the Maryland Retailers Association), and a stagnant restaurant sector (according to Melvin Thompson of the Restaurant Association of Maryland), we can hardly afford to self-sabotage White Flint.
4. The Montrose Parkway is a vital piece of a cross-county right-of-way known as the Rockville Facility. It was placed in earlier master plans as a future road to handle what everyone tells us will be a massive influx of new residents and development between now and 2040. The Rockville Facility extends from Falls Road in Potomac along Montrose Road and the Montrose Parkway to the Intercounty Connector, near the former site of the Indian Springs Country Club in Layhill.
For that reason, any attempt to downsize or intentionally slow traffic on the parkway will have dire repercussions far beyond the Pike District. It is gambling away what little capacity and valuable right-of-way we have left in reserve. The reality is, there is no other such east-west route available for a road.
5. Failure to build the extension, including the grade-separated interchange at Parklawn Drive, would forever stain the records of those who cast such a vote. There are four major infrastructure projects that were promised by all stakeholders in exchange for profitable development opportunities at White Flint, a $72 million developer tax cut, and hefty campaign checks for the Montgomery County Council. Only one of them, the Western Workaround, is currently moving forward. Still unprovided by the County Council are the new elementary school, the new MARC station, and the Montrose Parkway extension.
Very similar to the Council's bait and switch betrayal of upcounty residents with the M-83, cancellation of the Montrose Parkway East would prove that councilmembers only give lip service to necessary infrastructure in order to ram through the development. That's exactly the attitude that caused term limits to pass by an overwhelming vote by County residents last fall.
6. Funding for the Montrose Parkway vs. other long-delayed infrastructure in the County is not a zero-sum game. The parkway is an essential piece of infrastructure upon which all of the current and future development in White Flint and White Flint 2 will rely for adequate transportation capacity, and to promote the success of a walkable urban street grid amongst its new developments. It is not something that can simply be deleted because funds are tight, or because the Council has dropped the ball on infrastructure countywide. That's not the way planning and infrastructure work.
Much like M-83, the time to fund and construct the Montrose Parkway East is now; based on what County officials are hinting at for the redevelopment of Aspen Hill, Glenmont and Wheaton, it won't be long before we'll have to start planning future extensions to Connecticut Avenue (where ramp stubs are already in place for the road's planned cloverleaf interchange), Georgia Avenue and the ICC.
7. There are enough major development opportunities at the Montrose Parkway-355 interchange that we don't need to sabotage the parkway to create a smaller one near Parklawn. Air rights above the entire interchange can be sold to any interested developer. Along with the orphaned, pointless parking lot north of Pike & Rose, decking above the interchange could eventually create a seamless pedestrian connection between that development and a redeveloped Montrose Crossing.
The County Council's vote will cement their historical position as either responsible, honest stewards of growth and infrastructure (and I realize that is, frankly, a laughable thing to say about this Council) at White Flint, or a radical, war-on-cars mob of firebrands who have no qualms about burning down the foundations of the sector plan they passed unanimously in 2010.
31 comments:
#FractallyWrongFridays
It's an abomination and needs to be stopped.
What's the plan? Keep moving the traffic log-jam to the east until it's in PG County?
Put the $$ into schools, where it's desperately needed.
THIS ROAD WILL MAKE IT EASIER FOR THUGS FROM PG COUNTY TO COME AND ROB YOUR HOUSE
I wholly disagree with the Montrose Parkway East plan. It will disrupt homes, businesses, parks, and Rock Creek Park itself, and all it will do is encourage more people to drive for their work commutes. Study after study has shown that adding more roads, and lanes to those roads, does not alleviate traffic, it increases it.
The focus should be placed on bicycle & pedestrian accessibility and safety. I live less than 2 miles from Pike & Rose but have never walked or biked to it because the infrastructure isn't there. Instead of this boondoggle, the DOT should put their money into the Bike Master Plan, Vision Zero, and BRT - with dedicated lanes. Oh, and they should add a second entrance to White Flint. It is RIGHT NEXT to Pike & Rose, and so many people automatically discount taking the Metro there because of the long, noisy walk down the Pike to get there from the station. Add a second entrance on Old Georgetown and all they have to do is cross the road!
7:30: I agree it would be nice to have an entrance at Old Georgetown. I haven't seen any convincing evidence of induced demand for roads in our area. The ICC has been open for a while, and is not congested. The Beltway is congested because some very stupid people decided to run I-95's east coast traffic around our Beltway, instead of running I-95 through D.C., as originally planned.
I-270 is congested because the Council never built the M-83 Highway, which will offload many cars at the future Watkins Mill interchange, and because they canceled the second Potomac River bridge north of the Legion bridge. Both gaffes have forced a lot of people who are actually trying to head west or northeast, for example, to take I-270 further than necessary.
6:22: MCPS doesn't have a money problem. We've sunk more money than ever into it, and it just continues to decline (and that's when they're not holding Fight Club at Gaithersburg HS). How long will it take the Council and BOE to figure out what I knew right away - that Jack Smith was a terrible choice for the particular challenges we have in MCPS. Not to mention his pedantic politicization of every issue. We need someone who can stand up to problem students and County elected officials with equal firmness. The only people Smith can rip are the taxpayers paying his bloated salary and outrageous benefits.
If only people knew that the vast bulk of MCPS money is going to administrators, not classrooms, they would be furious.
8:05 AM What are you rambling on and on about now? More conspiracy nonsense...
Cliff notes to my 6:22 comment:
Road = bad
Schools = good
Regarding the ICC - while it does not get congested, have you noticed any relief on 95, 495, or 270 since it opened? The argument for the ICC was that it would reduce traffic in the most gridlocked section of the Beltway between 270 and 95 North. And I know some people use it for exactly that purpose - I know when I need to head toward Columbia or Baltimore, the ICC helps me avoid the Beltway entirely. But those drivers diverted onto the ICC were replaced on 95, 495, and 270 by new drivers - because otherwise we'd have seen a reduction in traffic, right?
"MCPS doesn't have a money problem. We've sunk more money than ever into it, and it just continues to decline (and that's when they're not holding Fight Club at Gaithersburg HS)"
Well, that was one heck of a non sequitur.
"The Beltway is congested because some very stupid people decided to run I-95's east coast traffic around our Beltway, instead of running I-95 through D.C., as originally planned."
Have you ever driven on the Southwest Freeway or the 14th Street Bridge? Do you really think that is a better place for Maine-to-Florida traffic?
"Not to mention his pedantic politicization of every issue."
LOL
"Funding for the Montrose Parkway vs. other long-delayed infrastructure in the County is not a zero-sum game."
Umm, yeah it is.
Agree with Suze.
The only benefit I see from MPE is that it will remove some traffic from Randolph Rd. And even then, it's only a drop in the bucket. At a presentation given by the project manager of MPE that i attended, I believe he only expected a 30% drop in traffic on Randolph between Parklawn and Viers Mill. Does not seem worth it. Not to mention the fact that you'll have a new bottle neck with the people coming from PG who now need to take a right on Viers Mill for a half mile to connect to MPE instead of just going straight on Randolph.
As far as longer term implications, no shot in hell of the WF Sector Plan and Twinbrook Plans from ever intersecting one another in terms of walkability with this barrier in between them.
"some on the Council sealed their electoral fates this fall, when they voted to kill the Midcounty Highway Extended (M-83), so maybe they have nothing to lose."
The people who live in the communities which would be "served" by the M-83 have made it very clear that they do not want this road, for several decaded now.
Excellent point, Suze. The ICC has allowed the road network to increase capacity but it has not resulted in congestion relief due to the induced demand you describe. This is why claims regarding Hogan’s plans for 270/495 should also be looked at very critically.
2:45: Induced demand is on the road that is built or expanded, not other roads around it. You're trying to change the definition to get around the fact that induced demand has not occurred on the ICC. If we have express lanes on I-270 and they reduce congestion, but the Pike is still jammed, that is not induced demand.
11:04: Is Metro a barrier in Rockville? Highways are actually less of a barrier than Metro is.
1:52: That's 100% false. Clarksburg, Goshen and Damascus are strongly in support of M-83. Ask the Clarksburg Civic Association if they "do not want this road."
9:21: I-95 through DC would be better by far than running it around our Beltway.
@9:15 The ICC is the second busiest toll facility in MD: http://www.wmal.com/2017/11/30/surprise-the-icc-is-marylands-second-busiest-toll-facility/
#1 is the McHenry tunnel which is basically I-95 pass-through traffic. ICC is local traffic. Do you want all those cars to end up on 495 instead?
I use the ICC when visiting Wheaton or Olney from Bethesda. It's faster time-wise than taking 495 to Georgia Ave (MD-97) and heading up Georgia for 8 miles.
The fundamental law of road congestion: New roads will create new drivers, resulting in the intensity of traffic staying the same.
Induced demand, which is economist-speak for when increasing the supply of something (like roads) makes people want that thing even more. Though some traffic engineers made note of this phenomenon at least as early as the 1960s, it is only in recent years that social scientists have collected enough data to show how this happens pretty much every time we build new roads. - Wired
Induced demand is a canard used by anti-highway radicals. It is a meaningless term superimposed over two real phenomenon, to make it appear to be a vindicated theory: 1) population growth that naturally occurs over time, and 2) the fact that in most American cities, the Astroturf "freeway fights" prevented each region's highway system from being completed.
I can't speak to a majority of cities, but as a lifelong resident of Bethesda, I am highly-qualified to speak to our situation here. The fact is that, as I mentioned above, we have an unfinished master plan highway system. At the same time, the Council and Planning Board have corruptly approved all of the planned development that needed roads like M-83, the Northern Parkway, the Northwest Freeway, the North Central Freeway, the Rockville Freeway and the Outer Beltway. And more.
You're talking about a freeway network missing *seven* major components, if you include the missing I-95 leg through D.C. A human missing so many parts of his or her circulatory system would die.
So it's easy to sit back and make a false claim of "induced demand," when capacity is never delivered, and the development is all getting approved in the meantime anyway.
The ICC, in contrast, is being used as a bypass, as 11:42 noted. It is not experiencing "induced demand," which proves that theory to be a hoax. In contrast, the Beltway and I-270 quickly filled up as soon as capacity was added because they are taking loads they were never designed to handle, and overdevelopment just keeps exacerbating the problem.
"Induced demand" refers to the cumulative effect on the roads in the area surrounding a new or expanded road. If use of the new or expanded road were considered in isolation, it would be a meaningless statistic.
Has the opening of the ICC actually reduced congestion on adjacent roads? If not, than the traffic on it is most certainly induced demand.
"the Northern Parkway, the Northwest Freeway, the North Central Freeway, the Rockville Freeway and the Outer Beltway. And more."
That ship has already sailed.
"You're talking about a freeway network missing *seven* major components, if you include the missing I-95 leg through D.C. A human missing so many parts of his or her circulatory system would die."
My God, that is the dumbest analogy I have ever seen. Failing to build a road that was proposed once, failing to ADD it to a large, complex preexisting network if roadways, is NOT in any way comparable to REMOVING critical components in the human body.
6:43: It absolutely is, which is what makes it such a powerful analogy.
6:07: Nope. The rights-of-way remaining, and new technology like Elon Musk's Boring Company, keep these all viable.
6:00: Wrong. Induced demand is on the road that is in question. The ICC is not congested, hence there was no induced demand. If you're trying to go to downtown Silver Spring from Bethesda on the Beltway, you're not going to use the ICC. It doesn't go there. It's primarily a bypass, and to get to I-95, not points in-between here and there. Hence, we need the Hogan Express Lanes.
"But as a lifelong resident of Bethesda, I am highly-qualified to speak to our situation here."
Pfft. I've lived here since 1963. I was driving these roads before you were born.
Remember the 270 local lanes (originally called collector/distributor lanes) were going to end gridlock? When I drive north in the AM and I see gridlock. Same will be true for the Hogan plan, not to mention the years of construction that we'll have to deal with.
7:14: Actually, that can't happen with the Hogan plan. The Express Lanes don't get congested. The toll goes up until people exit them, keeping the Express Lanes congestion-free. So, if you are late for a business meeting in Silver Spring, barring a disaster, you will be able to pay the toll and zip over to Silver Spring. It might reduce congestion a bit in the regular lanes, too, but certainly is worthwhile for the toll lane option when you need it.
"Actually, that can't happen with the Hogan plan. The Express Lanes don't get congested."
Wow, you are a Birdbrain. You haven't driven in the Beltway in Virginia, it seems.
"Musk's Boring Company"
Little more than a concept. Pipe-dream would be more accurate.
"As of February 2017, the company has begun digging a 30-foot-wide (9 m), 50-foot-long (15 m), and 15-foot-deep (4.6 m) testing trench on the premises of SpaceX's offices in Hawthorne, CA, since construction on its site requires no permits."
Also, the "rights-of-way" of which you speak don't exist and never did.
10:25: This sounds like the "voice of the Council" when they talk about autonomous vehicles. They're still in denial, even as fully-autonomous Teslas drive by on Maryland Avenue below their throne room.
The Boring Company is no less serious than SpaceX or Tesla, all disruptors that shake up 1960s minds like Hans Riemer's.
The rights-of-way absolutely exist, which is why nothing is built in them. There are a few illegal structures in the way on the Northwest Freeway and North Central Freeway routes, but with the Boring Company, those issues are moot.
Robert,
I will be directly affected by the Montrose parkway east extension as it will run behind my back yard(I'm not a NIMBY, so don't play that card). This road was designed in the 60's and it doesn't mesh well with the NEW white flint plans - that's the biggest issue here.
The new plan is for grid of streets to spur development that fosters walk-able communities. I have always assumed this road will be built at some point, so I've advocated for sound barriers, lower speed limits and photo enforced speed cameras. Others have advocated for additional pedestrian protections and rightfully so.
Two big issues:
The plans for this road also basically change the interchange at parklawn and make it more dangerous and much less pedestrian friendly. Biggest issue here by far. If you want to talk offline about this I will glady talk to you about it. Or I'll catch you at the next meeting because I see you at them.
Randolph road will terminate at Nebel street. This sucks for us in the community. For those of us that live in this area we become DISCONNECTED from the other side of 355 basically. Now I have to jump on a parkway to go 1000FT or there bouts and it's an inconvenience. I have asked for Randolph road to remain open, but it's been shot down.
The interchange at Randolph and Parklawn will also require changes that will negatively affect local traffic.
Wbatever you say dude... You screwed up your Entire argument when you stated that you knew about the Highway since the 1960's. Sorry but you sound like the rest of the Maryland Hating Good Ol' Boy Trolls from Virginia that will do anything and everything to prevent the Maryland Suburbs from developing like your backyard of Northern Virginia.
Since when has any Higheay in thr World was built on the ASSumption that it will stop traffic gridlock. Highways are built and widen to ease the flow of traffic especially during the evenings and weekends. I swear you Maryland Haters will say or do anything to stop Business and Highway Growth in the Maryland Suburbs just so your backyard of Northern Virginia continues to strive to be the modern utopia of Business and Economic Wealth on the scales of Atlanta, Houston, Charlotte, New York, Chicago, and Los Angelas...
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