State Asks About Benefits, Drawbacks of Privatizing I-270 Maintenance

Bethesda Magazine ^ | September 27, 2017 | Bethany Rodgers

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

As state officials launch a project to add toll lanes to Interstate 270 and the Beltway, they also are exploring the benefits of privatizing maintenance of existing highway sections.

The Maryland Department of Transportation last week began soliciting input from businesses on the estimated $7.6 billion plan to expand Interstate 495 through Maryland and I-270 from the Beltway to Frederick. A separate but related $1.4 billion plan calls for adding capacity to I-295.

During a Sept. 21 press conference, Gov. Larry Hogan said his idea for relieving congestion on the state’s largest thoroughfares relies on finding a private partner to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the new lanes.

The state’s request for information, in which businesses are asked for their input on a potential project, also floats the idea of relinquishing responsibility for non-toll lanes to the private sector.

“Would it be advantageous for MDOT to transfer the operations and maintenance and lifecycle responsibility for the entire freeway or just the added congestion relief improvements?” the document stated.

The proposal described by Hogan would involve adding two toll lanes in each direction along I-270 and two in each direction on the Beltway from the American Legion Memorial Bridge to the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge.

The governor also said the state is looking to expand I-295 after assuming control of the highway, now managed by the National Park Service.

Altogether, the improvements to the three highways are estimated to cost $9 billion, according to officials.

State officials have said they expect the project to be done through a public-private partnership. They gave no timetable for the work and no specifics on the project design, such as where the new lanes will be located.

Amelia Chasse, a spokeswoman for Hogan, wrote in an email earlier this week that the state is in early phases of planning the project. She said the governor will try to move the projects forward as quickly as possible.

MDOT’s information request asked businesses how long it would take them to prepare proposals for widening I-270 and I-495 and to describe the challenges involved in the projects.

Other questions related to potential right-of-way acquisition to accommodate the new lanes.

While Hogan said he thinks the state largely has the land it needs, the request for information notes that “residential and commercial development is located close to the right-of-way line” on the Beltway’s path through Montgomery County.

MDOT also asked companies to elaborate on the potential difficulties of expanding the highways while minimizing land acquisition.

MDOT encouraged companies to submit their responses by Dec. 20. State leaders said the process of finding a private partner could take about 18 months.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Maryland “Freak State” PING!