Montgomery County council members pressed State Highway Administration officials during a contentious discussion Tuesday on how the Intercounty Connector could affect the environment and the health of county residents.

The road, once completed, is set to be an 18-mile controlled-access toll highway that will link activity centers on Interstate 270 and the Interstate 95/U.S. 1 corridors. Each of the five stages of the $2 billion-plus project, on the books for decades, is scheduled to be designed as it is constructed.