Wednesday, June 6, 2007

sleepy residents talk traffic at transpo forum

WHAT'S UP: The Amish Market is down, but not out; Guest blogger Adam finishes explaining the Annual Growth Policy tomorrow.

"BEAUTIFUL, AIN'T IT?" The proposed interchange at Route 29 and the InterCounty Connector will be over fifty feet high.

Check out additional coverage from
the Gazette which is, of course, a day late.

Many apologies were made for dragging local residents out of bed at 10 a.m. on a Saturday morning and into last weekend's East County Transportation Forum, held at the Regional Services Center on Briggs Chaney Road. Several dozen sleepy people came by to hear presentations on transportation and land use in East County - and, of course - to yell at a panel of public officials and politicians whom they no longer seem to have faith in. Topics covered included the Route 29 reconstruction, a new Ride-On bus route, and the InterCounty Connector.

"The impacts of construction will be lower than what you've experienced for the past several years," promises InterCounty Connector Contract Manager Mike Jaeger, brought in to discuss the new highway whose bulldozers will quietly pass through East County next year.

Jaeger was also referring to construction on Route 29, which is currently being transformed into a freeway. Three interchanges have already been completed (at Cherry Hill Road, Briggs Chaney Road and Route 198) and six more are waiting for State funding.

But Stuart Rochester, best described as the "Voice of East County," questioned whether new or existing freeways were the answer. "We're really changing the face of our communities," Rochester says. "If we do this, we're not gonna be able to recognize our neighborhoods." Even County Councilwoman Marilyn Praisner (D-Calverton) says she was "unsure" about continuing construction on Route 29, given the congestion that still occurs on it.

AFTER THE JUMP: Praisner wants you to buy more booze; poetic NIMBYs lead to the creation of a new bus route.

Praisner was especially concerned about the InterCounty Connector's proposed interchange with Route 29, a sprawling, fifty-foot-high behemoth known to roadgeeks as a "three-level stack." You may have seen a "stack" interchange where the Baltimore Beltway meets I-70 (above, at right). But unlike that connection, "the aesthetics of this interchange will be greater," says Jaeger. "We can do landscaping."

"How do you landscape an interchange?" the councilwoman asks. "Big pots," calls out a member of the audience. "That's one way," Jaeger replies, laughing.

However, Marilyn Praisner did stress the importance of public transit, repeating her commitment to building the Purple Line "between Bethesda and some destination in Prince George's County," possibly referring to New Carrollton. Praisner also supports additional transportation funding.

"Keep buying your beer," Praisner says to a mildly amused audience. "Keep buying your alcohol, because it's helping to fund transportation projects in Montgomery County." (The Department of Liquor Control handles all beer and wine sales in MoCo; the proceeds pay for county services.)

One of those transportation projects likely paid for by your last Bethesda bender is Ride-On's new Route 21, which serves Tanglewood, the Tamarack Triangle and Dumont Oaks - all on the same needlessly convoluted route to the Silver Spring Metro. It was created by cutting service on the Metrobus Z6 (one of many I took to work last summer) to my neighborhood due to excessive whining about noise and filth by residents of Tanglewood, who are notoriously defensive (and surprisingly poetic) about their tree-lined streets (at left).

One Tamarack Triangle resident (whose wife, seated next to him, turned out to be my English professor last semester, much to my chagrin) was unimpressed. "We're very happy with the current service to Glenmont," the resident says. "And we're very concerned we're gonna lose [the Metrobus] C7 to Glenmont and we'll have to take a longer trip to Silver Spring."

"I think someone is giving you bad information," replies Arthur Holmes, representing the Department of Public Works and Transportation, which manages Ride-On.

Ride-On Route 21 begins service June 25, and I plan to try it out. The Z6 took me to Downtown Silver Spring in forty-five minutes during rush hour; the Z8, forty minutes; the Z9 Express, thirty. We'll see if the 21 is worth your dollar-twenty-five - or if Tanglewood should have kept their poems to themselves.

I-695/I-70 photos courtesy of AARoads.com.

5 comments:

S. said...

You one-uped me on this on Dan. Thanks for covering it. I'm glad someone was there. One question though, did anyone ask about police coverage for this area? It seems to be lacking at best....

Thanks again!

Steve
Down by the River

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure what the big opposition is in the East County. Transforming Route 29 and the new ICC interchange will make East County the center of development in the I-95 corridor. I don't think much will happen with Konterra except they will build some more lowly inudstrial parks and subdivisions. I doubt there is retail demand for another major mall in the area.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure what the big opposition is in the East County. Transforming Route 29 and the new ICC interchange will make East County the center of development in the I-95 corridor. I don't think much will happen with Konterra except they will build some more lowly inudstrial parks and subdivisions. I doubt there is retail demand for another major mall in the area.

RE: Thanks for killing two birds with one stone by Down Talking Potential Upscale Development in Upper Montgomery County and PG County.

You make the People in High Tech Rich Northern Virginia VERY PROUD.

I say that because it doesn't take a rocket science to figure out that the people that speak Ugly against the ICC(among other Proposed Freeways in PG and Montgomery County) and Upscale Development are doing so because they FEAR that any form of New Upscale MEGA DEVELOPMENT in Montgomery and PG Counties will be a SERIOUS THREAT to Economic/Business Growth in Northern Virginia.

Between 10-30 years ago to today Major Highways(Dulles Toll Road/Greenway and VA 28 Upgrade to a Freeway) was built and Huge Explosion of Development with a New Indoor Upscale Mall(Dulles Town Center) was built between Fairfax and Loudon Counties No Clowning Jackasses tried to Rail Road its Success that it is today.

So basically any person who Hates new Progrssion(Development and Highway Building) in Maryland is only acting so out of Purer Hatred against Maryland and also possibly doing so out of supporting Economic ands Business Growth for Virginia.

Silver Springer said...

I fear the ICC will bring an overabundant amount of housing over jobs.

Anonymous said...

Silver Springer said...

I fear the ICC will bring an overabundant amount of housing over jobs.

6/07/2007 3:53 PM

RE: Well if you fear that then you really never supported economic growth for Montgomery County which makes me question your loyalty towards your so-called support for upgrading "Silver Spring".

Anti-Highways(ICC, Techway, I-95/270 to DC, US 29 Upgrade, New Bay Bridge) = Anti-Office Growth, Anti-Progression, and Economic/Business Deeriation for Maryland.

as to

Supporting the Dulles Greenway + Tri-County Parkway + VA 28 Freeway Upgrade + Springfield Interchange = Explosion of Office Growth, Retail Growth, and Economic Growth for Northern Virginia

In other words a persons fear is the same as being Uneducated and Displaying Hatred towards change for the better.

You talk about upgrading Silver Spring but how the heck are you supporting Silver Spring when you display hatred towards building highways and building Upscale Retail Indoor Shopping Malls like Tysons Corner????????????????

Yeah you talk about supporting Offce Growth but as proven in the past without a mixture of Highways and Rapid Transportation(Not One or te Other) Office/Employment will not ever become progressive thats why Virginia continues to Blow Maryland off the map when it comes to High Paying Employment and its rich display of Office Towers.

Arlington is getting a 40-60 Story Office Towers in which I can guarantee that it would not have happened if I-66 and I-395 wasn't built.