As proposed in 1997, the Inter County Connector (ICC) would be a 6- to 12-lane, 18-mile interstate highway (Interstate 370) from Interstate 270 near Gaithersburg, Maryland to U.S. Route 1 near Laurel, Maryland. It would also be part of a sprawling "spider web" of highways around Washington, D.C., including most or all of a new Outer Beltway. This road network would cost at least $20 billion, with the ICC portion estimated to cost at least $1.7 billion, and as much $3.2 billion if a plan to fund the project with bonds is approved. The Bush administration and Gov. Robert Ehrlich are attempting to approve the ICC through an expedited Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) under Presidential Executive Order 13274, which allows for expedited review of designated transportation projects. Twice before, agencies have rejected the alignment sought by the road and developer lobbies because it would damage communities, parks, wetlands, and forested stream valleys. The 1997 Draft EIS published by the Maryland and federal highway administrations also found that the ICC would have minimal positive impact on regional congestion. That study and negative comments from the public and local, state, and federal decision makers helped convince former-Gov. Parris Glendening to abandon the ICC. Maryland's State Highway Administration (SHA) has already spent nearly $20 million studying and restudying the ICC, and this is the third EIS on the ICC in less than 25 years, yet Gov. Ehrlich has declared the ICC to be his top transportation priority. A 2001 study by a local planning agency found that an alternative that reduced sprawl, balanced jobs and housing, and expanded transit would compete with a sprawl-as-usual road scenario that included the ICC and many other major highway projects. In April 2004, the U.S. House of Representatives earmarked $9 million for the ICC in its version of the six-year transportation bill reauthorization. In 2000, corporate
special interests spent millions of dollars to elect pro-ICC candidates
and have spent millions working to convince the public that the
ICC will relieve congestion and not harm the environment. They are
also pushing hard for a westward extension of the ICC, known as
the "Techway, " which would include a new bridge across
the Potomac River and a new Outer Beltway segment into rural Virginia. In 2003, state and regional transportation planners estimated that the ICC would cost approximately $1.7 billion. The Ehrlich administration proposes to finance much of the ICC's cost through nearly $1 billion in Guaranteed Advance Revenue (GARVEE) bonds, which allow states to borrow against expected federal transportation funding. Interest on these bonds, however, would add another billion dollars or more to the project's cost, and could boost the total cost to over $3 billion. This would consume much of Maryland's share of federal transportation funding, and imperil other projects across the state. In 1997, the federal and state highway administrations found that the ICC would not reduce average auto commute times in the area or congestion on the Capital Beltway (I-495), I-270, or I-95 and instead would increase congestion on major north-south commuter routes. Local Community Concerns The ICC is opposed by a broad coalition of civic, environmental, and social justice organizations. It would rip through dozens of communities, destroy local businesses and scores of homes, and depress property values. Local communities would also be harmed by increased noise, air pollution, and traffic. Environmental Concerns The ICC would undermine local, state, and federal efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries and to improve the region's poor air quality. Agency studies have found that the ICC would result in the clearcutting of up to 550 acres of forests, damage stream valleys, and obliterate 20 acres of wetlands in the headwaters of major tributaries to the Anacostia River, Potomac River, and Chesapeake Bay. The ICC threatens twenty rare, threatened, or endangered plant species and would destroy forests that shelter at least 27 migratory songbird species. The ICC would also cut through 145 acres of public parkland. The 1997 EIS
found the ICC would increase driving on local roads, and this could
have negative impacts on the region's already dirty air. Washington
and Baltimore fail to meet two separate standards for ozone under
the Clean Air Act, and some counties fail to meet the standard for
airborne particles. As a result, nearly 90 percent of Maryland residents
live in counties where smog levels often violate national health-based
clean air standards, and repeated exposure to increased levels of
these pollutants can cause lung damage and increase incidences of
respiratory illness. On nearly one in three summer days in 2002,
the ozone level in the Washington region was unhealthy for children,
elderly people, and people with chronic respiratory disease. Article
published June 2, 2004 |
