NEW: For over 4 years the Maryland Sierra Club has raised concerns about the flaws of the I-495 and I-270 project. The toll lanes project won’t be approved by the Governor Hogan administration! This creates an opportunity to consider better transportation solutions. We look forward to working with the Moore administration and the new Board of Public Works to create effective, equitable transportation solutions that help all Marylanders and our climate.
Take Action Volunteer Statements In the News Testimony
The threat of new, substantial highway expansion is real. Governor Hogan is actively promoting an up to $11 billion plan to widen the Capital Beltway and I-270 with 4 new toll lanes each that, combined, would stretch hundreds of miles long. The proposal calls for the private toll lanes to be financed by what would be the largest highway public-private partnership (P3) in North America.
Research on past highway expansion projects, including the previous expansion of I-270 in 1990, consistently demonstrate that widening lanes does not solve congestion. Instead, it encourages more people to drive, increasing traffic, while the congestion problem returns a few years later. Highway building results in bringing more fossil fuel emitting vehicles to the road that exacerbate climate, air, and water pollution while perpetuating sprawl that deteriorates our natural places and reducing spaces for walking and biking.
We are working to scrap this project and replace it with a new vision for equitable, and sustainable transportation. See our vision here.
Take Action
Donate to our MD Smart Growth Defense Fund to halt the I-495 and I-270 highway widening toll lane project!
Learn more about the harmful I-495 & I-270 P3 expansion project by reading the 50+ group and City of Rockville SDEIS comments! The comments were submitted Nov. 30, 2021. Share this information with others!
Interested in volunteering? Send an email to Lindsey at transportation@mdiserra.org
Position Statements & Comments
Section 106 Comments on Historic Places and Environmental Justice Issues (2022)
Supplementary Draft EIS (2021): Over 50 Groups and City Deliver a Sharp Legal Critique Challenging Gov. Hogan’s I-495 and I-270 Toll Lane Plan
Draft EIS (2020): Governor Hogan’s Toll Lane Plan Is Harmful and Legally Vulnerable 50 Groups Submit Over 200 Pages of Technical Analysis
Written Testimony on the Phase 1 P3 Agreement, I-495 & I-270 Relief Plan
Statement on MDOT's New Recommended Alternative for I-495/I-270 Toll Lane Widening
MD Sierra and Descendant Statements in Support of African American Cemetery Bill
It's Time for Franchot, the BPW, and MDOT to Keep Their Promises
Legislation
See our testimony on highway legislation and other transportation legislation in the 2021 General Assembly here.
Sierra Club in the News
Comment Period Extended After Enviro Group Flags Errors on Highway Project
Md. Sierra Club: Will the Senate Co-Own Hogan’s Highway Boondoggle?
Possible legal challenges pose cost risks for Maryland toll lanes proposal
Maryland selects Transurban, Macquarie to develop toll lanes for Beltway, I-270
Maryland Sierra Club is also a proud member of the MAST Coalition that is working to oppose the highway plan. Read the MAST Open Letter to Comptroller Franchot about Toll Lane Expansion.
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