RESOLUTION June 18, 1997

WHEREAS, the Intercounty Connector is proposed as a multi-modal transportation improvement to help address the traffic needs between I-270 near Rockville and Gaithersburg in Montgomery County, Maryland and I-95/US 1 near Laurel in Prince George's County, Maryland; and

WHEREAS, an east-west transportation facility in this area has been contemplated since 1950, when the National Capital Planning Commission first proposed the "Cross County Loop" as part of an outer circumferential freeway around Washington, D.C.; and

WHEREAS, all of the area master plans have retained the concept of the east-west transportation link in this area since the 1950's, including the area's first general plan prepared in 1957 and the 1964 general plan for Montgomery and Prince George's counties; and

WHEREAS, four federal agencies -- the Federal Highway Administration, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Environmental Protection Agency -- have all concurred in the need for an east-west transportation link in this area; and

WHEREAS, the I-270 Corridor, one of the premier centers of high technology in the United States and a critical component of the economic well-being of Montgomery County and the State of Maryland, has only one access controlled highway linking it to the I-95 Corridor, which in turn has extensive existing and planned development throughout the corridor between Washington and Baltimore and which also serves to connect the Washington Metropolitan Area to Baltimore and the entire northeast United States; and

WHEREAS, the Capital Beltway, the only high quality roadway linking the I-270 Corridor with I-95, is currently operating at capacity during peak periods, causing congestion and overutilization of the existing local roadway system; and

WHEREAS, the ICC Study Area is expected to experience, by the year 2020, a 28% increase in the number of households and a 48% increase in the number of employees; and

WHEREAS, there is a critical need for an improved east-west transportation link to relieve congestion on streets and roads that were not intended to handle the volume and type of traffic that they now carry, and to address future growth; and

WHEREAS, transportation, neighborhood, environmental, and economic needs must be balanced as Montgomery County continues to grow and prosper.

NOW, THEREFORE, New Democrats of Montgomery County hereby declares its support for the construction of an Intercounty Connector in an environmentally responsible manner, and urges the State of Maryland to recommend in the Final Environmental Impact Statement an alternative that helps solve critical east-west transportation needs and balances transportation, neighborhood, environmental, and economic considerations.

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