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PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: May 18, 2006

For More Information Contact:

Brian Henry
Audubon Naturalist Society
(301) 652-9188 ext. 18
(202) 299-7674 cell
bhenry@audubonnaturalist.org

$3 Billion Intercounty Connector Makes Montgomery’s Most Congested Intersections Worse

Transportation Priorities Questioned

Montgomery County’s 2006 Highway Mobility Report (HMR), released Monday, May 15, named its 10 Most Congested Intersections. Every one of these is a north-south commuter route. “Every county and state transportation analysis shows that primary traffic problems already exist on north-south routes, and the Intercounty Connector (ICC) is shown to make the problems worse. For example the Mobility Report lists Georgia Avenue, Route 29 and Connecticut Avenue in the top 10, and the ICC is shown to add to traffic on these roads,” said Brian Henry, an organizer with Audubon Naturalist Society.

According to the Montgomery County report, “Georgia Ave (MD 97), from Glenmont to the Olney Town Center, is experiencing increased levels of congestion and should be monitored with a high level of scrutiny." But things could be getting a lot worse before they get better. This segment of Georgia Avenue would be the location of a major interchange for the ICC. Analysis conducted by the State Highway Administration shows that congestion at this segment of Georgia Avenue would jump at least another 10 percent if the ICC were built.

"The ICC should be called the Big Mistake," said Henry. "Transportation funds are scarce, so we should be addressing the real day-to-day traffic problems. Instead, we're wasting billions on a highway that would make our busiest, most congested intersections even worse.”

Most trips on the ICC have been predicted to be short sideways movements tied to north-south trips. With developers itching to use the ICC for up-county development, significantly more traffic is expected for overused roads such as Georgia Avenue, Route 29, Connecticut Avenue and Rockville Pike because developers plan to build along the ICC. The $7-a-day toll for the proposed road would also cause drivers to spill over on local roads. Moreover, the ICC has also been shown not to relieve traffic on I-270, I-95 or the Beltway.

“Montgomery County’s report demonstrates that our priority should be intersection improvements, the Georgia Avenue Busway and Corridor Cities Transitway, and community design changes that reduce traffic. Yet, funding for most of these projects has been stalled and won’t be available if the Governor and County Executive persist with the costly ICC,” said Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth.

The Audubon Naturalist Society and other ICC opponents are proposing better development planning, a focus on fixing existing roads, and providing more travel choices for commuters by investing in transit. For more information on the alternative plan, visit http://savecommunities.org/iccalternatives.html.