Washington, D.C. - The United States House of Representatives today passed the Transportation Equity Act (H.R. 3550) which included Congressman Chris Van Hollen’s (D-MD) funding and “New Starts” requests for projects important to the Eighth Congressional District and the State of Maryland.
“I am pleased that the House passed this legislation providing funds for these projects,” Van Hollen stated, "This is excellent news for our district."
Funding
The Transportation bill includes the following amounts for projects requested by Rep. Van Hollen:
• $9 million for the InterCounty Connector. Rep. Van Hollen and Rep. Albert Wynn jointly requested funds to proceed with planning and to determine the environmental impact of the ICC. Van Hollen stated, “I am very pleased the House passed these federal funds to move the ICC planning forward and determine whether it can be built in an environmentally sound manner.”
• $5 million for engineering and construction of the MD Route 355 at Montrose Road/Randolph Road Interchange in Rockville, Maryland. Van Hollen stated, “This funding is essential to relieving gridlock at this intersection.”
• $4 million for the Maryland Avenue and Market Street Intermodal Access Project in the City of Rockville, Maryland. Van Hollen stated, “This project is an essential part of the Rockville Renaissance.”
• $1 million for Intermodal access programs in the Silver Spring and Wheaton Central Business Districts in Montgomery County, Maryland. Van Hollen stated, “This funding is an important piece of ongoing efforts to revitalize downtown Silver Spring and Wheaton.”
“New Start” Designations
The bill also included Rep. Van Hollen’s request that the Corridor Cities Transitway be designated as “New Start” making it eligible for federal funding. The Committee authorized the project to receive federal funds for alternatives analysis and preliminary engineering.
The Corridor Cities Transitway will effectively extend the Red Line north from Shady Grove to Clarksburg, and eventually to Fredrick by providing a light rail or bus rapid transit links. Van Hollen stated, “I am very pleased that the federal government has given a green light to the Corridor Cities Transitway. It is essential to relieving traffic congestion along the I-270 corridor.”
The Transportation bill also approved the joint request by Representatives Van Hollen and Wynn that the B-County transportation be designated as a “New Start.” This bill authorizes the project to receive federal funding for alternatives analysis and preliminary engineering.
The Bi-County Transitway (also known as the Purple Line) would be a light rail connecting New Carrolton, Maryland, to the Bethesda-Shady Grove side of the Metro Red Line. Van Hollen stated, “This is an important step forward, but I want to emphasize that any light rail line must be designed in a way that protects the Capital Crescent hiker-biker trail.”