The New Mark Commons Board of Directors sent a letter to the Maryland Dept. of Transportation on behalf of the New Mark community expressing our opposition to the proposed widening by adding four lanes to I-270 from the Beltway north to I-370. We indicated our strong support for the “no build option” in the draft Environmental Impact Statement.
New Mark Commons has previously indicated its concerns about this proposed project in an earlier public comment period. We are opposing the widening of this segment of I-270 for the following reasons:
- The State Highway Administration’s interactive map clearly shows the already high noise levels in our area will increase significantly.
- Construction plans for the project show substantial encroachment on adjacent property, including park land and the Julius West Middle School.
- The significant recent reduction in traffic due to COVID-19 is widely assumed to continue into the future due to the number of people working from home. This project is not needed currently to address traffic volume and may not be necessary for a long time.
- If traffic congestion does increase, attention should first be paid to widening I-270 north of Gaithersburg where the highway narrows from 12 lanes down to 4 lanes.
Click here for a copy of the letter which was also sent to the Governor Hogan, Comptroller Peter Franchot, and Board of Public Works Treasurer Nancy Kopp.
We encourage NMC residents to send their individual letters expressing concern about this highway widening project. Here are the names and addresses:
Lisa B. Choplin, DBIA
Director, I-495 & I-270 P3 Office
Maryland Department of Transportation
State Highway Administration
707 North Calvert Street
Mail Stop P-601, Baltimore, MD 21202
The Honorable Larry Hogan, Governor of Maryland
The Honorable Peter Franchot, Comptroller of Maryland
The Honorable Nancy Kopp, Treasurer of Maryland Board of Public Works
80 Calvert St
Annapolis, MD 21401