Anti-road activists make false claims and seek to delay project that will bring thousands of good jobs to the region
ANNAPOLIS, MD (July 26, 2022)—Traffic Relief NOW sent a letter to Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg of the U.S. Department of Transportation urging her department to ignore the false and unfounded accusations from anti-road activist Ben Ross who recently claimed that the federal, state, and local professionals who conducted the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the I-495 & I-270 Managed Lanes Study committed “scientific fraud.” Below are portions of the letter and a link to view the full letter.
“Mr. Ross’ letter was obviously a political document meant to confuse Marylanders and slander the well-respected professionals who conducted the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the I-495 & I-270 Managed Lanes Study. The traffic engineering and environmental analyses were performed by professional engineers and other qualified subject matter experts from eight federal, state, and local agencies and 20 participating agencies, including the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), following approved, industry standard procedures, and with FHWA’s ongoing review and approval.
“This appears to be just another transparent attempt by extreme anti-road activists to needlessly delay a project that will bring thousands of good jobs to our region, and that has long been identified by local leaders in Montgomery County, state leaders, and regional planning agencies as a top-priority infrastructure improvement. It is clear that opponents of this project will say and do anything to delay or derail this critical project and have now even stooped to the level of lobbying unfounded allegations of professional misconduct.
“The overwhelming majority of area residents support this transformational project and are counting on this to be delivered now, not ten years from now when the American Legion Bridge will be experiencing significant structural and safety issues, not to mention maddening traffic delays. The clock is ticking. We must get this done.”
Full letter >>
“Mr. Ross’ letter was obviously a political document meant to confuse Marylanders and slander the well-respected professionals who conducted the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the I-495 & I-270 Managed Lanes Study. The traffic engineering and environmental analyses were performed by professional engineers and other qualified subject matter experts from eight federal, state, and local agencies and 20 participating agencies, including the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), following approved, industry standard procedures, and with FHWA’s ongoing review and approval.
“This appears to be just another transparent attempt by extreme anti-road activists to needlessly delay a project that will bring thousands of good jobs to our region, and that has long been identified by local leaders in Montgomery County, state leaders, and regional planning agencies as a top-priority infrastructure improvement. It is clear that opponents of this project will say and do anything to delay or derail this critical project and have now even stooped to the level of lobbying unfounded allegations of professional misconduct.
“The overwhelming majority of area residents support this transformational project and are counting on this to be delivered now, not ten years from now when the American Legion Bridge will be experiencing significant structural and safety issues, not to mention maddening traffic delays. The clock is ticking. We must get this done.”
Full letter >>
About Traffic Relief NOW:
Traffic Relief NOW is an independent, non-profit, grassroots organization made up of over 100 businesses of all sizes and organizations dedicated to supporting real solutions to Maryland’s worst in the nation traffic congestion and encouraging both public and private investment in the state’s transportation infrastructure network. Specifically, Traffic Relief NOW is working to ensure that Maryland’s New American Legion Bridge I-270 Traffic Relief Plan is successfully implemented, constructed, and made available to citizens and commuters as soon as possible.
Traffic Relief NOW is an independent, non-profit, grassroots organization made up of over 100 businesses of all sizes and organizations dedicated to supporting real solutions to Maryland’s worst in the nation traffic congestion and encouraging both public and private investment in the state’s transportation infrastructure network. Specifically, Traffic Relief NOW is working to ensure that Maryland’s New American Legion Bridge I-270 Traffic Relief Plan is successfully implemented, constructed, and made available to citizens and commuters as soon as possible.
