The deficit invited criticism from advocacy groups, including the Coalition for Smarter Growth (CSG), which promotes walkable, bikeable, inclusive, and transit-oriented growth in the Washington, D.C. region.

Jad Donohoe, the senior vice president of The Donohoe Companies; Carrie Kisicki, the Maryland Housing Advocacy Manager for the Coalition for Smarter Growth; and Natalie Avery, the executive director of the Friendship Heights Alliance were among those who voiced support for the plan at Monday’s public hearing.

We are at a turning point in our fiscal crisis, the long-term failure of road expansion, rising household transportation costs, loss of Virginia’s scenic and historic landscape, and the impacts of climate change. It is time for a new approach.

Transit-connected, walkable communities are highly desirable to many people—and that makes transit, and the land around it, a valuable asset that Baltimore County can better leverage for public benefit.

The state has a road repaving deficit of $200 million due to a decision made in June 2025 by the prior administration to prioritize expansion and other types of road projects over maintenance.