The Intercounty Connector is a state road project, but that doesn’t mean it’s not costing Montgomery County.
Montgomery County Parks and Planning Department leaders are one step closer to getting money for four additional staff members to assist with the demands of supervising the project. A county council panel voted Monday to recommend the council approve $206,000 in funds for the positions.
Montgomery Parks and Planning Department officials have said the demands of overseeing the 18-mile highway project are so great they need additional staff members who can focus exclusively on ensuring the county is meeting state deadlines for response to toll road plans.
Currently, only one Parks Department employee is dedicated entirely to the ICC, and the position is paid for by the state.
Council Member Marc Elrich said he wondered how much control the County had over state plans for the highway’s construction.
“We have influence,” Planning Board Chairman Royce Hanson said Monday. “If what we say has merit, we get listened to; if not, we don’t.”
Mary Dolan, acting chief of the Countywide Planning Division of the planning department, said the departments receive 10 to 20 changes a week to the highway’s design that need to be reviewed.
County personnel will be expected to monitor the impact of the construction on the local environment, provide contact with the community, respond to concerns about potential problems, and ensure the state follows through on all of its commitments regarding local noise and aesthetics.
“My sense is [state officials] are trying to be accommodating,” Hanson said. “If it comes down to a crunch … they will do what they are going to do.”
