Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

There's only one bridge, with 4 lanes each way, between MoCo and VA. That hardly seems like a lot to connect two areas each with over 1 million population.

The ICC (MD-200) opened 7 years ago. I hear few complaints that it's overcrowded and we need to expand it.

In fact, the ICC would be part of an outer beltway and second bridge crossing. VA already has done most of their part -- it's VA-28 near Dulles. We just need less than 10 miles from that end of VA-28 to the start of 370/MD-200 to complete it. However, MoCo will staunchly oppose it because it would enter a tiny sliver of the Agricultural Reserve at one corner of it.

The outer beltway and second bridge crossing are transportation planning from the 1950s. It's 2018. How about some 2018 ideas?

A "tiny sliver of the Agricultural Reserve" -- lol.

As long as the nations capital and every national attraction is on the md side of the bridge then why should md build another bridge?

Md even owns the river.

1/2 of an Amazon field office is not prestigious.

Because there is an enormous amount of commerce and travel between MD and VA every day. It benefits both states to make it easier to move people and goods between them. The demand is there -- look at how busy the current bridge is.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

There's only one bridge, with 4 lanes each way, between MoCo and VA. That hardly seems like a lot to connect two areas each with over 1 million population.

The ICC (MD-200) opened 7 years ago. I hear few complaints that it's overcrowded and we need to expand it.

In fact, the ICC would be part of an outer beltway and second bridge crossing. VA already has done most of their part -- it's VA-28 near Dulles. We just need less than 10 miles from that end of VA-28 to the start of 370/MD-200 to complete it. However, MoCo will staunchly oppose it because it would enter a tiny sliver of the Agricultural Reserve at one corner of it.

The outer beltway and second bridge crossing are transportation planning from the 1950s. It's 2018. How about some 2018 ideas?

A "tiny sliver of the Agricultural Reserve" -- lol.

As long as the nations capital and every national attraction is on the md side of the bridge then why should md build another bridge?

Md even owns the river.

1/2 of an Amazon field office is not prestigious.

Anonymous wrote:

There's only one bridge, with 4 lanes each way, between MoCo and VA. That hardly seems like a lot to connect two areas each with over 1 million population.

The ICC (MD-200) opened 7 years ago. I hear few complaints that it's overcrowded and we need to expand it.

In fact, the ICC would be part of an outer beltway and second bridge crossing. VA already has done most of their part -- it's VA-28 near Dulles. We just need less than 10 miles from that end of VA-28 to the start of 370/MD-200 to complete it. However, MoCo will staunchly oppose it because it would enter a tiny sliver of the Agricultural Reserve at one corner of it.

The outer beltway and second bridge crossing are transportation planning from the 1950s. It's 2018. How about some 2018 ideas?

A "tiny sliver of the Agricultural Reserve" -- lol.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The biggest issue is the American Legion Bridge. There needs to be a large new bridge connecting Moco to the jobs in Nova, and Moco will continue to lose if it's too difficult to get to where all the jobs are.

x100000 either a new bridge or train over the bridge. Right now, if you want to take metro from Gaithersburg, for example, you have to take the red line to DC, then switch trains there to get into VA. That adds serious time to the commute.

Here is what would happen with a new or expanded bridge:

1. Everybody would say "Yippee!" and start making plans based on commuting in a single-occupancy vehicle across the bridge.
2. The bridge would fill up with traffic again.
3. The state would have spent a whole lot of money on something that didn't solve the mobility problem, rather on things that do.
4. Air quality would be worse, and more greenhouse gases would be produced.
5. People would start agitating for a new or expanded bridge.

There's only one bridge, with 4 lanes each way, between MoCo and VA. That hardly seems like a lot to connect two areas each with over 1 million population.

The ICC (MD-200) opened 7 years ago. I hear few complaints that it's overcrowded and we need to expand it.

In fact, the ICC would be part of an outer beltway and second bridge crossing. VA already has done most of their part -- it's VA-28 near Dulles. We just need less than 10 miles from that end of VA-28 to the start of 370/MD-200 to complete it. However, MoCo will staunchly oppose it because it would enter a tiny sliver of the Agricultural Reserve at one corner of it.

Anonymous wrote:
You're being pedantic. The developers can't build new housing without the county's approval, so yes, the county is *allowing* lots of new housing, and the new development is not all near metro. Have you seen the new builds in Clarksburg and Gaithersburg. They are not near metro stops.

We need either a new bridge or a new train going over 270 down to Nova. There's no point in just adding bus services since those buses would end up sitting in traffic along with the rest of the drivers.

The new housing in Gaithersburg is in Gaithersburg, which is not the county. (You're not going to say that's pedantic, is it?) Are you referring to Crown Farm, which is hypothetically transit-oriented based on the unbuilt Corridor Cities Transitway? Or Parklands at Watkins Mill, which is next to the Metropolitan Grove MARC station?

The new housing in Clarksburg was approved in 1994. Also, if you work in northern Virginia and move to Clarksburg, or you moved to Clarksburg and then take a new job where you work in northern Virginia - well, that's a lousy life, but it's not a good reason to build you a new bridge to drive yourself on.

If you want to spend big money to improve mobility, then the MARC Brunswick Line, BRT in dedicated lanes on MD 355 all the way to Clarksburg, and the Corridor Cities Transitway are better investments.

It's not a headquarters.

It turns out to be 1/2 of a satellite office and causing an area to be called "Amazon village" which sounds like a 3rd world sh*thole. What a bait and switch!!

I'll bet the whole think shrinks even further .

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The biggest issue is the American Legion Bridge. There needs to be a large new bridge connecting Moco to the jobs in Nova, and Moco will continue to lose if it's too difficult to get to where all the jobs are.

x100000 either a new bridge or train over the bridge. Right now, if you want to take metro from Gaithersburg, for example, you have to take the red line to DC, then switch trains there to get into VA. That adds serious time to the commute.

Here is what would happen with a new or expanded bridge:

1. Everybody would say "Yippee!" and start making plans based on commuting in a single-occupancy vehicle across the bridge.
2. The bridge would fill up with traffic again.
3. The state would have spent a whole lot of money on something that didn't solve the mobility problem, rather on things that do.
4. Air quality would be worse, and more greenhouse gases would be produced.
5. People would start agitating for a new or expanded bridge.

OK, and? Here's what would happen if you don't do something:

1. people will move out of MoCo to where most of the jobs are because they are tired of the commute, and MoCo is not creating lots of new jobs
2. #1 would cause county revenue to go down, and property values will also go down. Now, that may be good for buyers, but not good for sellers.
3. #2 would cause school budgets to go down
4. #3 would cause schools to cut back on services, increase class sizes, etc... which would make the schools go down

See the picture?

As for your #2 - what do you think is the solution to the "mobility" problem? If the solution is to create more jobs in MoCo, then I'm sure everyone in MoCo, myself included, would love that. But, that's not happening. Instead, the county keeps building new housing.

Nobody is against doing something. But presumably we want to spend that kind of money on something that is actually effective. Building a new bridge is not effective. It's throwing money down a hole. It's time to focus on transportation projects that don't encourage people to get places by driving there by themselves.

Also, the county is not building new housing. The county is allowing the building of new housing - as it should. There is not enough housing in the county, and there certainly isn't enough housing in the county that's near jobs and transit. That's why it's so expensive.

You're being pedantic. The developers can't build new housing without the county's approval, so yes, the county is *allowing* lots of new housing, and the new development is not all near metro. Have you seen the new builds in Clarksburg and Gaithersburg. They are not near metro stops.

We need either a new bridge or a new train going over 270 down to Nova. There's no point in just adding bus services since those buses would end up sitting in traffic along with the rest of the drivers.

Agree that building a new bridge is wasteful and just encourages people to plan their lives around driving

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The biggest issue is the American Legion Bridge. There needs to be a large new bridge connecting Moco to the jobs in Nova, and Moco will continue to lose if it's too difficult to get to where all the jobs are.

x100000 either a new bridge or train over the bridge. Right now, if you want to take metro from Gaithersburg, for example, you have to take the red line to DC, then switch trains there to get into VA. That adds serious time to the commute.

Here is what would happen with a new or expanded bridge:

1. Everybody would say "Yippee!" and start making plans based on commuting in a single-occupancy vehicle across the bridge.
2. The bridge would fill up with traffic again.
3. The state would have spent a whole lot of money on something that didn't solve the mobility problem, rather on things that do.
4. Air quality would be worse, and more greenhouse gases would be produced.
5. People would start agitating for a new or expanded bridge.

OK, and? Here's what would happen if you don't do something:

1. people will move out of MoCo to where most of the jobs are because they are tired of the commute, and MoCo is not creating lots of new jobs
2. #1 would cause county revenue to go down, and property values will also go down. Now, that may be good for buyers, but not good for sellers.
3. #2 would cause school budgets to go down
4. #3 would cause schools to cut back on services, increase class sizes, etc... which would make the schools go down

See the picture?

As for your #2 - what do you think is the solution to the "mobility" problem? If the solution is to create more jobs in MoCo, then I'm sure everyone in MoCo, myself included, would love that. But, that's not happening. Instead, the county keeps building new housing.

Nobody is against doing something. But presumably we want to spend that kind of money on something that is actually effective. Building a new bridge is not effective. It's throwing money down a hole. It's time to focus on transportation projects that don't encourage people to get places by driving there by themselves.

Also, the county is not building new housing. The county is allowing the building of new housing - as it should. There is not enough housing in the county, and there certainly isn't enough housing in the county that's near jobs and transit. That's why it's so expensive.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The biggest issue is the American Legion Bridge. There needs to be a large new bridge connecting Moco to the jobs in Nova, and Moco will continue to lose if it's too difficult to get to where all the jobs are.

x100000 either a new bridge or train over the bridge. Right now, if you want to take metro from Gaithersburg, for example, you have to take the red line to DC, then switch trains there to get into VA. That adds serious time to the commute.

Here is what would happen with a new or expanded bridge:

1. Everybody would say "Yippee!" and start making plans based on commuting in a single-occupancy vehicle across the bridge.
2. The bridge would fill up with traffic again.
3. The state would have spent a whole lot of money on something that didn't solve the mobility problem, rather on things that do.
4. Air quality would be worse, and more greenhouse gases would be produced.
5. People would start agitating for a new or expanded bridge.

OK, and? Here's what would happen if you don't do something:

1. people will move out of MoCo to where most of the jobs are because they are tired of the commute, and MoCo is not creating lots of new jobs
2. #1 would cause county revenue to go down, and property values will also go down. Now, that may be good for buyers, but not good for sellers.
3. #2 would cause school budgets to go down
4. #3 would cause schools to cut back on services, increase class sizes, etc... which would make the schools go down

See the picture?

As for your #2 - what do you think is the solution to the "mobility" problem? If the solution is to create more jobs in MoCo, then I'm sure everyone in MoCo, myself included, would love that. But, that's not happening. Instead, the county keeps building new housing.

This article was in the Post in April. Lends a good perspective on why the economic situation is why it is the way it is:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/economic-gloom-and-doom-in-marylands-largest-jurisdiction/2018/04/27/7592721a-496a-11e8-9072-f6d4bc32f223_story.html?utm_term=.70141a6f4468

Its not just being anti-business. The school system is horribly run. MCPS still tries to live off its reputation of 30 years ago while is declines every year and mismanages the system.

+1 Virginia's incentives are among the lowest yet they won the bid. MoCo's basically threw themselves at Amazon with it's $8B bid and still nothing. I am a MoCo resident and getting disturbed by Maryland's inability to attract more businesses. All I see is residential homes popping up and no real plans to accommodate the new population. If you think your public schools with a 28:1 kid ratio with no aid, I can't imagine what it will be like in a few years.

+2 MoCo has too strong of a history of being anti-business. From the business perspective looking at who MoCo votes into office, there would be zero chance that other taxes and regulations would not appear in the future. Business also look at the financial stability of the location they are considering. MoCo own office just published reports that are concerning. The county is not on stable financial footing, projecting declines in revenue and no plans to cut programs.

As long as the county is controlled by Takoma Park and Silver Spring, it will keep going down.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The biggest issue is the American Legion Bridge. There needs to be a large new bridge connecting Moco to the jobs in Nova, and Moco will continue to lose if it's too difficult to get to where all the jobs are.

x100000 either a new bridge or train over the bridge. Right now, if you want to take metro from Gaithersburg, for example, you have to take the red line to DC, then switch trains there to get into VA. That adds serious time to the commute.

Here is what would happen with a new or expanded bridge:

1. Everybody would say "Yippee!" and start making plans based on commuting in a single-occupancy vehicle across the bridge.
2. The bridge would fill up with traffic again.
3. The state would have spent a whole lot of money on something that didn't solve the mobility problem, rather on things that do.
4. Air quality would be worse, and more greenhouse gases would be produced.
5. People would start agitating for a new or expanded bridge.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
In general, social spending that tries to tackle national problems should be dealt with at the national level IMO. If not, then those jurisdictions like DC and MD that try to solve national problems with local measures will saddle themselves with a fiscal problem and disadvantage their competitiveness for business.

I say this all as a pro-business Democrat.

This!!

+2