On 11/2/06, the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the State Highway Administration (SHA) put on its annual Road Show presentation for Montgomery County’s statehouse delegation. MDOT and SHA use the Road Show to communicate their spending plans on transportation projects in Montgomery County to the county’s state legislators. At this hearing, the public was invited to watch but only state legislators were allowed to question MDOT and SHA officials. On November 20, the public will be able to testify about their priorities for state transportation spending.

MDOT Secretary Robert Flanagan opened by saying the state’s transportation investment in Montgomery County had risen from $289 million in fiscal year 2004 to $626 million in fiscal 2007. Flanagan announced that the state and county had reached agreement on accelerating improvements to two county priorities: engineering, right-of-way and utility relocation for a new Georgia-Randolph interchange and construction of a new interchange at Rockville Pike and Montrose.

State Highway Administrator Neil Pedersen then summarized 20 major state transportation projects in Montgomery. Of these projects, four were in planning, nine were in engineering, three had completed planning, one was under construction and three were completed. Nine were in up-county (north of Gaithersburg), four were along U.S. 29 in east county, three were in Rockville, two were county-wide, one was the ICC and one was in Glenmont. Three projects involved Georgia Avenue: interchange improvements at Georgia and Norbeck, a Georgia bypass around Brookville, and a new interchange at Georgia and Randolph.

None of these projects dealt with Georgia Avenue south of Wheaton. This is despite the fact that the area contains the county’s most-congested intersection (Georgia at Forest Glen) and the highest-traffic-volume, non-Interstate five-block stretch of road in the county (Montgomery Hills).

After the presentation, State Delegate (and soon-to-be State Senator) Rich Madaleno asked about a new Metro entrance to the Forest Glen station on the eastern side of Georgia. Madaleno and the rest of the District 18 statehouse delegation (Jane Lawton, Ana Sol Gutierrez and Jeff Waldstreicher) have been supporters of a new Metro entrance since the earliest days of our campaign. Madaleno said that the Georgia-Forest Glen intersection was “one of the worst intersections in the county” and asked why the state was not examining the need for a new Metro entrance to protect pedestrians. SHA Administrator Pedersen replied that the county had not set the project as one of its priorities for state funding and therefore it was not eligible for state money.

The exchange between Madaleno and Pedersen perfectly summarizes the current status of the Metro entrance. We have the support of all of our District 18 state legislators as well as a large number of Montgomery County Council incumbents and candidates. However, until the county notifies the state that the Metro entrance is one of its priorities for state funds, the Metro entrance will not receive any state money.

We are working with all relevant parties to make this happen. Our next opportunity to have a say in this process will come at the Road Show public testimony hearing on November 20. You can sign up to testify about this issue, or any other state transportation project priority, at http://www.montgomerycountydelegation.com/calendar-agenda-2007.asp.

Adam Pagnucco, Crossing Georgia Chair