Category: Statewide

Purple Line funding in Hogan’s budget, for now

Posted on by Claire Zippel

Gov. Larry Hogan kept state funding for the Purple Line in a budget proposal he released Thursday, but said that could change.

According to reports, Hogan said he was still deciding whether to move forward with the 16-mile light rail and the related Red Line light rail project in Baltimore.
“We were pleased to see that both Purple Line and Red Line funding remaining in Governor Hogan’s first Maryland budget,” said Coalition for Smarter Growth Executive Director Stewart Schwartz in a statement. “The Purple Line is a good deal for Maryland, good for jobs, good for the economy and good for commuters.”

It was the Coalition for Smarter Growth that, on the day after the election, tried to calm fears Hogan would halt the estimated $2.45 billion project.

During the campaign, the Republican from Anne Arundel County said he favored building highways over transit and that he was skeptical the Purple Line’s cost would be worth it. Later he said he would still consider both projects.

The state could need to provide between $350 million to $750 million for the Purple Line, which would run from New Carrollton to Bethesda and could start construction late this year. The federal government, local governments and a yet-to-be-picked private concessionaire would provide another $1.7 to $2.1 billion to get the project off the ground.

The news wasn’t as good for the geographic cost of education index, or GCEI, which provides more school funding for Montgomery County, Prince George’s County and Baltimore, where the cost of living, transportation and other services are higher.

Hogan proposed cutting the GCEI by 50 percent, something Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett said could mean a $17 million reduction in school funding to the county.

During a Thursday press conference on a new human trafficking bill, Leggett said he was watching Hogan’s first budget proposal closely and that so far it “certainly indicates a very strong hit to Montgomery County.”

Hogan is trying to bridge an estimated $750 million state budget shortfall. The proposal on Thursday didn’t include all the specifics, but did include a 2 percent cut to every state agency’s budget.

There would be a 1.3 percent increase in spending for higher education and a record high of $6.1 billion on Kindergarten-Grade 12 spending. Hogan’s proposal also includes $290 million for school construction.

Leggett said he was happy to see funding for the Purple Line and Red Line “at least thus far has not been changed.”

Read the original article here.

STATEMENT: Praise to Governor Hogan for keeping jobs-creating Purple Line on track

Posted on by acustis

MARYLAND — Reports today indicate that Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has initially retained state funding for the long-planned for Purple Line in his first state budget. Based on those reports, Coalition for Smarter Growth Executive Director Stewart Schwartz applauded the decision in the following statement: “We were pleased to see that both Purple Line and Red Line funding remaining in Governor Hogan’s first Maryland budget. The Purple Line is a good deal for Maryland, good for jobs, good for the economy and good for commuters.

Editorial: Enter Hogan

Posted on by Claire Zippel

The organization supports the county’s signature big-money transportation project, the Purple Line. “If Larry Hogan is worried about Maryland losing jobs to Virginia then I can think of no better project to move forward than the Purple Line. We have faith when he says economic development is his number one focus,” said Alex Posorske, managing director of the coalition.

PRESS RELEASE: Maryland electoral shocker may not be such a shocker for transit

PRESS RELEASE: Maryland electoral shocker may not be such a shocker for transit

Posted on by acustis

MARYLAND — While much of Maryland’s political watchers may still be reeling over Republican Larry Hogan’s historic upset last night of Democrat Anthony Brown, those grappling for new pieces of conventional wisdom may find themselves surprised on at least one key issue. Despite what many said during the heat of the campaign, long-planned new transit projects like the Purple Line or Baltimore’s Red Line are not dead in the water because of Hogan’s victory. Nor should they be when one looks at the merits of each project as well as Hogan’s key campaign focus – the economy.

Purple Line: How to grow without leaving folks behind

Posted on by Claire Zippel

“The discussion is about how to ensure that the Purple Line is doing what it should to bring people together with jobs and services and still protect those who might not earn a lot of money, but want to benefit from the transit without being unable to afford it,” adds Cheryl Cort, policy director at the Coalition for Smarter Growth.

Planners approve transportation priorities for D.C. region

Posted on by Max Potter

People who represent the fragmented jurisdictions across the D.C. region agreed Wednesday on a set of priorities for transportation planners.

The plan adopted unanimously by the Transportation Planning Board urges local governments to think regionally in selecting projects, emphasize ones that fix the road and transit network we already have, strengthen public confidence in their decisions and give people more options about how to travel.

The Regional Transportation Priorities Plan attempts to shape planners’ thinking in choosing projects, but it doesn’t name any projects to advance. The lack of specificity frustrates some transportation advocates, including Bob Chase, the president of the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance. He refers to it as an Alice’s Restaurant “You can get anything you want” approach to planning.

Supporters, including Stewart Schwartz of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, see progress in the fact that a planning panel is willing to set regional priorities. Virginia, the District and Maryland have their separate systems for selecting and advancing projects. They are more responsive to local interests than to regional needs. While Schwartz has criticized aspects of the plan, he has supported its emphasis on fixing things first, and on improving the efficiency of the existing road and rail network.

The priorities plan doesn’t affect the underlying structure of local planning. but the formal regional support for its goals could influence upcoming decisions. The power of the Transportation Planning Board lies in the legal need for the jurisdictions to incorporate their projects in the region’s Constrained Long-Range Transportation Plan.

The priorities plan now becomes a policy guide for local and state leaders who want to get their projects into the regional long-range plan. Local travelers naturally remain more focused on how they’re going to get home tonight rather than on what the transportation network will look like in a decade or two. But as they back up on the Beltway or squeeze aboard crowded Metro trains, many do wonder if there is any connection between their plight and the planning process.

The plan approved Wednesday is one of those rare documents dedicated to the lateRonald F. Kirby, who as director of transportation planning for the board, guided the development of the document. The dedication says in part: “This plan, which Ron worked tirelessly to develop, is a reflection of his innovative yet pragmatic approach to improving the region’s transportation system and making the region a better place.”

The plan’s priorities are grouped into three areas.

Meet existing obligations. Maintain the region’s existing transportation system. For example: Fix Metro and maintain it in a state of good repair.

Strengthen public confidence and ensure fairness. Pursue greater accountability, efficiency and access to transportation for everyone.

Move more people, more efficiently. Make strategic decisions to lessen crowding and congestion on the region’s roadways and transit system to accommodate growth.

Use this link to see the Regional Transportation Priorities Plan.

Todd Turner, a Bowie city council member and chairman of the priority plan task force, said the existence of such a plan, underpinned by a survey that sought public opinion on these priorities, will help restore public confidence in transportation planning. “But people have to take leadership in their own communities,” he said. In effect, addressing his local government colleagues across the region, he added: “We’re giving you the guidance. It’s up to you to do it.”

Read the original article at Washington Post >>

Photo Credit: Gerald Marineau

Maryland DOT letter to Virginia rejecting Potomac Bridge Crossings

Posted on by acustis

Dear Secretary Connaughton: Thank you for the opportunity to clarify our position on the proposed study of the Potomac Crossings for Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. Based on the draft press release you shared with my office, it appears you may have misconstrued former Secretary Swaim-Stanley’s letter regarding our position on new crossings of the Potomac River.