TAKE ACTION: The last, most important step to defeat Mid-County Highway Extended (M-83) is here

Posted on by Carrie Kisicki

Mid-County Highway Extended (M-83) wouldn’t relieve traffic upcounty long-term—but it would cut a divide through existing communities and destroy farmlands, forests, and sensitive wetlands in its path.

The County Council is finally considering removing M-83 from county plans this month, and we need you to weigh in.

TAKE ACTION! Ask the Council to remove M-83 from county plans

You can also register to testify for the public hearing on the Master Plan of Highways and Transitways on July 8, although the waiting list is now full. If you would like to submit written or video testimony, you can do so here.

It’s time to take this outdated and unnecessary highway off the books for good. Email the County Council today to ask them to remove M83 from the Master Plan of Highways and Transitways.

Since the 1950s, traffic engineers have told us new highways would solve traffic. We now know that’s not true. We also know that highways divide neighborhoods and pollute our air. We know that more walkable communities linked to transit provide a better, more sustainable approach.

For years, CSG and partners have put forward a transit-based combination of solutions, including bus rapid transit, better street connectivity, and improved bike and pedestrian connections upcounty as an alternative to building M-83. Analysis by CSG and the TAME Coalition, and later, by the county’s own Department of Transportation—has found that forthcoming transit investments, including bus rapid transit (BRT) on MD-355, will provide significant transportation improvements without the environmental harms of M-83.

Strong support for removing M-83 from county plans

County leadership and community and environmental organizations alike join CSG in supporting M-83’s removal from the Master Plan of Highways and Transitways, including:

  • County Executive Marc Elrich
  • Montgomery County Department of Transportation
  • Transit Alternatives to Mid-County Highway Extended (TAME)
  • Sierra Club of Montgomery County
  • Action Committee for Transit
  • Montgomery Village Foundation
  • Muddy Branch Alliance
  • Seneca Creek Watershed Partners
  • Climate Coalition Montgomery County (including CCAN, Montgomery Countryside Alliance, and MCFACS)

Read our 2015 report and visit TAME’s website to learn more.

Image credit: TAME