Medical Center Drive/I-495 interchange will effectively block walk access to Downtown Largo: SHA’s proposal for a massive, complex, multilane, high-speed $90+ million interchange is completely at odds with a vibrant, walkable Downtown Largo and connectivity to the stadium area. The proposal would severely degrade walk and bike access on the only I-495 crossing to Downtown Largo that even has a sidewalk or path. We ask MDOT to instead develop multimodal urban boulevard design alternatives for the Medical Center Drive/I-495 interchange with buffered walk/bike facilities; low speed, narrower, safer crossings; enhanced walk/bike access where MD 214 and MD 202 cross I-495; expedited Central Avenue Connector Trail and bridge providing the direct walk/bike connection from Downtown Largo to Morgan Boulevard; and Transportation Systems Management (TSM) approach to distribute vehicle trips to all three of the interchanges that serve Downtown Largo, the stadium, and the Blue Line corridor. 

Oppose I-495/I-270 Toll lanes and VDOT I495 Southside Study: These costly highway expansion proposals are inherently flawed by bias and failure to include a comprehensive Metrorail, land use, demand management alternative. The Capital Beltway and I-270 toll lanes would reinforce the east-west racial and economic divide that marks the Maryland suburbs by requiring Prince George’s commuters to either pay high tolls to reach the concentrations of jobs on the west side of the region or to sit in the general purpose lane traffic that toll companies require in order to make money.  VDOT’s I-495 Southside express lanes alternatives will impose a major traffic bottleneck on Prince George’s and will make the promised Metrorail extension even more remote. We ask MDOT to step up to address the problematic approach VDOT is taking, and put renewed focus on the Blue/Orange/Silver Line Metro Capacity Study. 

Support a Major Highway Project Impact Assessment bill: We ask that MDOT’s responsibility be legislated to align its major highway projects with the State of Maryland’s goals to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT). We request support for an anticipated bill that will require impact assessments for major highway projects and determine if mitigation measures are needed to offset adverse GHG emissions and induced driving impacts, the state’s transportation system to reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Vehicle Miles Traveled. Reducing GHG emissions and VMT is important for addressing climate change, equity, a transit funding crisis and economic vitality. We can reduce VMT by fostering transit-oriented communities with safer walk and bicycling conditions and roadway designs, more frequent, reliable and accessible transit service, and other measures to reduce single occupancy vehicle use and better use of low and no emissions travel options. Proposed highway projects that cannot address their emissions and induced driving impacts through these and other types of mitigation measures will require rescoping or a halt in the project development process.

Act to achieve Vision Zero: Given that 19 out of 20 of the roads in the County’s high injury network are state roads, we urge expedited planning and construction to slow down hazardous roads and build out safe multimodal facilities. The state should also recognize and comply with the County’s Urban Street Design Standards as a baseline for designing safer, slower urban streets.

Sidewalk maintenance on state highways should be an SHA responsibility, especially around transit stations. We ask the delegation to support legislation that establishes SHA’s responsibility for maintaining not only state roads but also the sidewalks for the state roads. 

Tame Central Avenue (MD 214) with a road diet: We ask the delegation to support SHA in moving forward with a road diet – reallocating one travel lane in each direction. This will help reduce travel speeds and reclaim space for safer walking and biking, including by creating protected bike lanes. The road diet and walk/bike facilities should be planned for the full length of MD 214 from the District line to MD 202.

Retrofit East-West Highway (MD 410): From Riggs Road to MD 500, MD 410 is an urban highway that tops the priority list of the Pedestrian Safety Action Plan (PSAP). This corridor has missing sidewalks; fast, overly wide roads; a mix of land uses; and people walking, biking, riding transit, and driving.