Transportation is the #1 source of our regional greenhouse gas emissions, and we have just 8 years to slash those emissions. Yet, our local and state elected officials who sit on the regional Transportation Planning Board (TPB), are not taking the urgent – and feasible – steps necessary to reduce emissions from our region’s transportation system. They need to hear from you! 

The Coalition for Smarter Growth submits the following comments in response to the Notice of Availability of the I– 495 & I–270 Managed Lanes Study Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) and Updated Draft Section 4(f) Evaluation. We have also signed onto and endorse the comments submitted by the Maryland Chapter of the Sierra Club and separate comments by the Maryland Transit Opportunities Coalition.

Do you want to be able to easily walk, bike, or hop on a bus? Wouldn't it be great if it were easy to find a great place to live that doesn't stretch your budget? How can we make sure our neighborhoods are resilient in the face of climate change?

On Wednesday, the three-person Maryland Board of Public Works is scheduled to vote on the contract to widen I-495 and I-270 with four private toll lanes. This vote is happening before critical financial and risk analyses and a final environmental impact statement are complete. We are calling on the Board

July 20, 2021 Hon. Charles AllenChair, National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board Re: TPB Vote on Capital Beltway/I-270 and the Long-Range Transportation Plan Chair Allen and members of the TPB: I will keep our comments short: Governor Hogan and MDOT have:Completely failed to objectively study alternatives to the toll lanesPut