The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced Thursday they had approved a “record of decision” on the I-495 & I-270 Managed Lanes Study.
The decision is the final step in a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process to move forward on the project that would replace and expand the American Legion Bridge, as well as 15 miles of high occupancy tolls from the Maryland state line to Gaithersburg. The project would also add pedestrian and bike access across the bridge.
On I-495, the project would include two new High Occupancy Toll (HOT) managed lanes in each direction from the George Washington Memorial Parkway to west of MD 187. On I-270, the alternative would convert the existing high occupancy vehicle lane in each direction into a HOT managed lane and add an additional HOT managed lane in each direction from I-495 to north of I-370.
As part of the NEPA review, stakeholders, community leaders, elected officials and business owners met with transportation officials in 16 public workshops and seven public hearings over the course of four years. The meetings, as well as an extended period of public comment, not only presented findings, but elicited feedback from the community.
In the record of decision, the FHWA responded to allegations of “Possible Scientific Fraud in Toll Lane Traffic Model” claims in a July 11, 2022 letter from the Maryland Transit Opportunities Coalition. FHWA hired USDOT’s Volpe National Transportation Systems Center to conduct an independent review of the claims and failed to find any “scientific integrity fraud.”
The project avoids all residential and business displacements, and significantly reduces the impact on parkland, right of way and other resources in the area, planners said.
The MDOT SHA said the proposed project will create new opportunities for regional transit bus service and support carpooling by allowing HOV3+ vehicles and transit vehicles to travel in the HOT managed lanes toll free.