MD Beltway Widening..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I remember when 270 was two lanes in each direction. It has been expanded numerous times. It is still congested.

Figure out a different way to grow, going to 16 or 20 lanes won't solve the problem.

Yes!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's no "practical limit". There might be a politically-feasible limit, but that's an entirely different thing.

You don't think we're practically limited by what is politically feasible?

What's politically feasible can change.

Unless your point is the tautology that it's only possible to do what it's possible to do?

I'm not trying to be over argumentative here. I just think what is "practical" is strictly contained within what is "politically-feasible." Something cannot be practical if it is not politically feasible. When I said there's a practical limit to development in the inner suburbs, I was absolutely referring to to the political clout of the wealthy homeowners in some of those areas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I remember when 270 was two lanes in each direction. It has been expanded numerous times. It is still congested.

Figure out a different way to grow, going to 16 or 20 lanes won't solve the problem.

You have a misconception. Yes, even though 270 has been widened several times, and it is still congested, you mistakenly think that other alternatives will solve the transportation problem. The reason that the highway is still congested is that the population of Montgomery County has also continued to grow. Whether you widen the highway or not, the population of the county will continue to grow. In 1980, the population of the county was 4.2M. In 2018, the population is just over 6.0M. That's 143% or 43% growth over 38 years. The reason that the highway is still congested is that the population has grown faster than the road and transit can accommodate. The county population is currently projected to continue to grow 0.33% to 0.8% annually. There is no way that mass transit alone can accommodate that volume of population growth. You are going to need a combination of mass transit upgrades and highway expansion to accommodate the growth.

There's no way around the problem that the Washington DC metro region is one of the fastest growing metropolitan regions of the US and we have to come up with ways to accommodate the influx of people. Mass transit alone is not going to do it.

The reason the highway is still congested is that when you make it easier and more convenient for people to drive, then more people drive.

We gotta stop thinking that bigger highways will fix congestion. They don't. They never have. And they cost a whole heck of a lot of money in the process.

I commute from silver spring to reston. current job moved maryland office to virginia so it wasnt my choice. even with mind numbing traffic, my commute is significantly shorter than taking public transportation. With more and more Maryland jobs moving to Va, the only way to get people out of their cars is to offer a fast transportation option over the river. something that does not circle you through DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I remember when 270 was two lanes in each direction. It has been expanded numerous times. It is still congested.

Figure out a different way to grow, going to 16 or 20 lanes won't solve the problem.

You have a misconception. Yes, even though 270 has been widened several times, and it is still congested, you mistakenly think that other alternatives will solve the transportation problem. The reason that the highway is still congested is that the population of Montgomery County has also continued to grow. Whether you widen the highway or not, the population of the county will continue to grow. In 1980, the population of the county was 4.2M. In 2018, the population is just over 6.0M. That's 143% or 43% growth over 38 years. The reason that the highway is still congested is that the population has grown faster than the road and transit can accommodate. The county population is currently projected to continue to grow 0.33% to 0.8% annually. There is no way that mass transit alone can accommodate that volume of population growth. You are going to need a combination of mass transit upgrades and highway expansion to accommodate the growth.

There's no way around the problem that the Washington DC metro region is one of the fastest growing metropolitan regions of the US and we have to come up with ways to accommodate the influx of people. Mass transit alone is not going to do it.

The reason the highway is still congested is that when you make it easier and more convenient for people to drive, then more people drive.

We gotta stop thinking that bigger highways will fix congestion. They don't. They never have. And they cost a whole heck of a lot of money in the process.

I commute from silver spring to reston. current job moved maryland office to virginia so it wasnt my choice. even with mind numbing traffic, my commute is significantly shorter than taking public transportation. With more and more Maryland jobs moving to Va, the only way to get people out of their cars is to offer a fast transportation option over the river. something that does not circle you through DC.

Long term, I would move or find a new job.

[Anonymous]

And that’s what is ridiculous about this area. Starting a job just 20-30 miles away requires a move. It’s like they want to punish anyone who dares take a job in VA while living in MD, or vice versa.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And that’s what is ridiculous about this area. Starting a job just 20-30 miles away requires a move. It’s like they want to punish anyone who dares take a job in VA while living in MD, or vice versa.

I don’t think that’s unique to this area. If you moved to a job 20-30 miles away including a bridge or tunnel in the middle in ANY major metropolitan area in the US, that would be untenable if you wanted a normal family life.