The Maryland Board of Public Works unanimously approved spending $150 million for planning and engineering work on the American Legion Bridge.
Two five-year, $75 million contracts were awarded Wednesday. One contract was awarded to ATCS P.L.C./Jacobs Engineering Group, and the other to RS&H Gannett Flemming/Johnson, Mirmiram & Thompsom.
Gov. Wes Moore, Treasurer Dereck Davis and Comptroller Brooke Lierman sit on the three-member BPW board.
Lierman praised the Maryland Department of Transportation for the plan and its pursuit of federal funds for this work, as well as proposed expansion work on I270 and I495. The goal is to reduce traffic congestion.
However, Lierman said she was concerned that plans to expand the roads would not reduce traffic.
“I do also continue to have serious concerns about the efficacy of highway expansion as a means to alleviate traffic, its effect of bringing more cars to the road resulting in more greenhouse gas emissions, and most relevant to my office and this Board – any potential future reliance on a transportation P3,” she said, referring to a public-private partnership.
“I am glad the Governor is making multimodal options central to this project – not in the peripheral – including bus rapid transit and transit-oriented development,” she said during Wednesday’s meeting.
“I strongly believe that as this project moves forward, we must focus on the I-270 challenges, which are central to connecting Marylanders to Maryland jobs and helps move our residents around our state more efficiently,” she said.
Moore announced in August that the state will proceed with plans to improve the American Legion Bridge and create managed lanes along I495 and I270. However, Moore said he would seek public funding, requesting money from the federal government, rather than continue former Governor Larry Hogan’s public-partnership program.
Under consideration by the state Department of Transportation is implementation of managed lanes from the American Legion Bridge along I495 to the I270 west spur. That would be in the first phase. How to proceed on the section from the I270 west spur to I370 in Rockville will be decided later.
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Bridge photo Courtesy of Famartin
