NVAR has long considered transportation one of our top priorities and improving our regional transportation network as essential for sustained regional prosperity and continued growth of the real estate market. Traffic and congestion in Maryland and throughout the DMV region has a profound impact on the quality of life for many NVAR members and their clients. NVAR has worked with Maryland transportation officials and Governor Hogan to advocate for improvements to the American Legion Bridge and extending express lanes into Maryland.
This week, we learned that the Federal Highway Administration decided to delay federal approval of the Maryland Traffic Relief Plan.
Without federal approval, Maryland’s plan to widen the American Legion Bridge and I-270 will NOT MOVE FORWARD. That means:
- Maryland loses billions of dollars in private financing that will now be needed from Maryland taxpayers to replace the American Legion Bridge.
- Soul-crushing congestion and delays will get dramatically worse for the hundreds of thousands of people who use the American Legion Bridge and I-270 EVERY DAY.
- Montgomery County will lose hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for transit, bike, and pedestrian improvements that were connected to the proposal including Route 355 BRT.
The only way to save the Maryland Traffic Relief Plan and avert catastrophe for the entire DC region is for the Biden Administration to reverse this arbitrary and baseless decision.
Click here to contact your federal representatives today and urge them to save Maryland’s plan to improve the American Legion Bridge and I-270.
Maryland has already spent four years studying these improvements, mitigating environmental impacts, and changing the plan as a direct result of public feedback. Now is the time to move forward.
This is a make-or-break moment for this project, but we cannot save it without your help. Contact your elected officials today before it’s too late.
NVAR is a founding member of the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance (NVTA) which has been advocating on transportation issues since 1987. NVTA advocates for reliable funding sources and the adoption of a regionally focused transportation plan for Northern Virginia.