News

Far from dead, the ICC's future looks downright rosy

BY ERIN HENK

The seemingly interminable debate over the implementation of the Inter-County Connector (ICC) may finally reach a conclusion sooner than expected, due to President Bush's Executive Order 13274, or fast-track plan, which will speed up the decision process.

With this controversial plan put back in the public eye, it leaves many of Montgomery and Prince George's County community members still questioning the motives and the anticipated outcomes of the project.

The ICC, or I-370, was first studied in the 1980s as an option to reduce heavy traffic in the Washington metroplitan area. The proposed plan would connect the I-270 corridor to the I-95/Route 1 corridor. Former Maryland Governor Parris Glendening, originally a great supporter of the plan, abandoned it in 1997, when environmental concerns were raised by the Maryland State Highway Administration (MSHA).

However, the ICC proposal did not die with Glendening's dismissal. In the most recent governor and council elections, the ICC has once again become a key issue. Governor Ehrlich is currently pushing to revive plans to construct the ICC.

Under the fast-track plan, the ICC will be re-evaluated from scratch and the amount of time taken to complete its study will be cut down from five years to one year. The fast track is viewed by proponents as a way of streamlining the decision process for the ICC, without cutting corners. However, ICC opponents view cutting corners as unavoidable.

The ICC's purpose and need statement, which was presented in open house forums at local high schools on June 26 and 30, offered the opportunity for community members to voice their opinions to the MSHA about the plan. The new plan was not released prior to the meetings, causing outrage among those who feel that the accelerated review process means less time for proper studies and public commentary.

"Sounds like they've already made up their minds," said Robert Ferraro, president of Eyes of Paint Branch, a citizens' group of defenders of the Paint Branch watershed who are opposed to the ICC.

Much of the disapproval for the project stems from environmental concerns. The plan, which has been described as "an environmental disaster," will cut through 550 acres of forest, 20 acres of wetlands, and 145 acres of public parkland which are in the "wrong of way" of the ICC, according to John Parrish, vice president of the Maryland Native Plant Society. The highway would footprint, or cut clear through, the forest with wide lanes of asphalt. Once the forests are fragmented, the value of the forest would be diminished on either side of the highway, and incapable of supporting the same number of species as before.

Parrish said that the proposed construction site would affect an area which was once completely forested. This is "one of the few areas with thriving biodiversity," he said. It is now only about 25 percent forested, and with construction of the ICC, the percentage will decline even further.

Parrish also described the ICC as a devastating way in which the community will be sliced in half, particularly for those who will be directly affected by eminent domain in order to make room for construction. He also spoke of those who wouldn't get evicted as the ones who will still be witness to noise, air, and visual pollution, saying that these affected communities are very quiet.

"Can you imagine putting an interstate through park land?" he said.

The ICC plans will cross five watersheds: Rock Creek, Northwest Branch, Paint Branch, Little Paint Branch, and Indian Creek. Ferraro said that the Paint Branch watershed is the only stream left in Montgomery County with a wild trout population, an indicator of high water quality.

Edgar Gonzalez, Deputy Director for Transportation Policy for Montgomery County, said that with this project, the state has made a commitment to improve streams. Fish and stream passage barriers, such as pipes, can be improved and eliminated with this project through channelizing, a process where reducing the width of existing eroded streams would increase the depth, enabling fish to continue to reproduce and live.

Clean air is another concern. The Washington metropolitan area has never met the federal clean air standard for ozone. The Department of Public Works claims that with the ICC, a smoother traffic flow would reduce gas consumption and nitrogen oxide and volatile organic compound emissions.

Some opponents argue that the ICC would not improve air quality because the plan would not improve traffic, and in some cases, worsen it. An estimated three percent of commuters will actually travel the entire length of the ICC. Also, due to the fact that there will only be four exits off the highway, drivers will most likely continue to utilize local roads. According to the MSHA and the Federal Highway Administration's 1997 ICC Draft Environmental Impact Statement, "None of the ICC alternatives will have a substantial impact on the levels of service [congestion] experienced by motorists on the Capital Beltway, I-270 or I-95 within the Study Area."

However, from Gonzalez's viewpoint, the ICC is a plan where everybody gains. The Washington metropolitan area has the third largest congestion problem in the U.S., despite its strong investment in commuter services such as bikeways, walkways, and mass transit methods. One of Gonzalez's primary points is that many residents must go out of their way in order to get to places like Baltimore or BWI Airport, which has had a significant effect on such roads as the Capital Beltway, East Randolph Road and Norwick Road.

"These roads will see significant improvement on traffic flow as a result of this project," Gonzalez said, adding that the quicker flow will greatly elevate the quality of life and economic well-being, which includes easier access to international ports such as BWI.

At-Large Montgomery County Council member George Leventhal, who lives in Takoma Park, also feels that the ICC would be the best way to travel from east to west, north of Randolph Road.

The SHA has already spent more than $15 million on the ICC, and an estimated cost of $1.5 billion has been designated for the ICC.

District 5 County Councilmember Tom Perez pointed out that with the state budget deficit, it would be better to opt for alternative highway improvement plans.

"Our funds are much better spent doing 20 other things for the price of one," Perez said.

Ferraro feels that growth and planning need to be developed responsibly. "We need to improve mass transit and get people out of cars," he said, and "highways don't solve that."