How do you get people to live closer to their jobs when the price of housing increases the closer you get to DC?
Maybe it’s time to start moving federal agencies out of DC.
I think a 270 expansion is in order. There simply is no good way into DC from the Frederick area that is not highly congested. I wonder if expanding the Metro is an option?
A 270 expansion AND another bridge over the Potomac is needed to get cars flowing on 270.
Some of us have to drive 270 because we drive for a living. Most days it will take me 90 - 120 minutes to get from Rockville to Hagerstown during the evening rush hour.
There are a lot of people operating on the basis of old information who need to relearn DC residential geography. Part of the problem on the east side is that much of it was built out as completely uncontrolled post-WWII sprawl. Many of the arterial roads look like the worst of 1950's automobile centric strip development. Get a block or two off the main roads and you will find many nice neighborhoods, but the main roads present a poor first impression. They are gradually being rebuilt, but that is a slow process.
(2)Yes, Metro and MARC expansion would be desirable and could be done for a fraction of the cost of adding new lanes to the interstates. If need be, run the train down the center divider strip between the north and southbound lanes of 270.
I remain convinced that if we vouchered the schools and went to full school choice, gentrification (already rapid) would become an avalanche. People in the outer burbs are spending four or more hours a day in their cars. Adding a lane each way to 270 isn't going to relieve that pressure. It will only provide a temporary talking point for politicians who can point to the project and claim to be "doing something," but the new capacity will be completely swamped the moment it opens. Too many cars. And there's nowhere to park them once you do get into DC.
It is actually probably faster to take the MARC train from Frederick to Union Station than to drive to capital hill during Rush Hour. Which is part of the reason I advocate expanding the service on the Brunswick line. Unfortunately CSX owns the tracks and impacting their ability to move freight is a non-starter. Thus I advocate starting by building 3 mile long station siding where space permits and going to full triple track on that mainline, basically two CSX track and one MARC track (send Amtrak on the MARC tracks).
You nailed it, I absolutely agree but we will never see it happening.
The politicos in the surrounding D.C. counties are all part of the D.C. swamp. Money is flowing out of D.C. to here and they will fight for it.