Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan on Thursday proposed a $9 billion public-private partnership to add new traffic lanes around the traffic-clogged U.S. capital region and assume control of a highway operated by the federal government.
Hogan said his administration plans to add four new lanes to the Capital Beltway (I-495), a ring highway around Washington, and four new lanes on I-270.
The public-private partnership project will include new privately developed express toll lanes. Hogan also wants to build toll lanes on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, which is operated by the U.S. Department of the Interior, and is pushing for its ownership to be transferred to Maryland..
Following a transfer, the Maryland Transportation Authority would build and maintain the new lanes and maintain existing lanes between Baltimore and Washington.
Hogan’s proposal may align with the Trump administration’s infrastructure plans. The White House wants to spend $200 billion on infrastructure over 10 years, which it hopes will encourage another $800 billion in infrastructure investment by the private sector. It has not yet offered a detailed plan.
Hogan said statewide congestion costs have jumped 22% since 2013, reaching $2 billion in 2015. The bulk of those costs on weekdays are tied to traffic in the region around Baltimore and Washington.
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Source: Reuters
