Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett has asked the County Council to reconsider delaying $82 million that he allocated for school and road repairs.
Among the preventative maintenance efforts the council deferred are $37 million in Montgomery County Public Schools projects and $43 million in roads, sidewalks and streetscaping, Leggett said in a Tuesday letter to Council President Roger Berliner.
“Complaints about roads in need of resurfacing, crumbling sidewalks, dying street trees, and decrepit facilities are at the top of the list of those received by my staff,” Leggett wrote. “Also, most facility experts will note that deferring necessary repairs and replacements will increase costs over time, rather than provide true savings.”
The council delayed a variety of projects in favor of other priorities, like the Bethesda Metro station’s south entrance and the Capital Crescent Trail — both deemed necessary by council members before the Purple Line light rail project can move forward but objected to by Leggett.
The county has a nearly $600 billion backlog of transportation projects waiting to move forward.
