October 3, 2024

Montgomery County Planning Board
2425 Reedie Dr, 14th Floor
Wheaton, MD 20902

Please accept these comments on behalf of the Coalition for Smarter Growth. CSG is the leading organization advocating for walkable, inclusive, transit-oriented communities as the most sustainable and equitable way for the D.C. region to grow and provide opportunities for all.

We are grateful to Planning staff for their attention to the public feedback they have received concerning M-83. Organizations including CSG and Transit Alternatives to Mid-County Highway Extended (TAME) and other community members have been raising serious concerns about the community and environmental impact of M-83 for years. We have documented how M-83 is unnecessary and that local street connections combined with bus rapid transit and walkable, transit-accessible communities would meet future needs.

The County made clear its priorities when it did not include M-83 in the Visualize 2045 long-range regional transportation plan approved in 2022, and did not submit it for the current update, Visualize 2050. Its inclusion in these plans would be necessary to move forward with design and construction of unbuilt segments. 

Further, critical stakeholders including the County Executive and MCDOT have expressed support for removing unbuilt segments of M-83 from the Master Plan of Highways and Transitways (MPOHT). It is clear that there is significant interest in the Planning Board taking up this topic during this update to the MPOHT and in removing M-83.

CSG supports the Planning Board expeditiously removing M-83 from the MPOHT. In the alternative and at a minimum, we strongly urge the Planning Board to expand the scope and extend the timeline of MPOHT to formally evaluate removal of MPOHT.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Carrie Kisicki
Montgomery County Advocacy Manager