I had a chance to talk to John Porcari, Maryland?s new transportation secretary, recently and wanted to get a feel for where his priorities were.
As suspected, he?s dedicated to improving service and quality for the local transit and road systems, although he acknowledges that the challenges to get funding will be great. More on that in a minute.
He says the Red Line is at the top of the priority list right now, although he has some concerns.
One of the biggest problems facing the Red Line right now are the many diverse interests involved in the project including citizens groups that want or don?t want it in their backyards. He says there are too many potential alignments right now and that that slows the project down.
“We cannot have warring factions impeding the progress,” he says of the community groups. He notes that this project is competing not just with state projects for funding, but also with those in other parts of the country. Does he have a preferred alignment?
He wouldn?t say, but stresses that the communities will ultimately decide. He added that the transportation departments must “build credibility with the communities,” which I believe means that at some point the local interests will need to defer in some part to the recommendations of the state.
When it comes to new projects, Secretary Porcari says that the state, because of funding, will be “hard-pressed to honor commitments for new projects,” so there won?t be too many.
He says that the first priority in this regard is the preservation of the existing system and in honoring commitments already made for projects.
I got the sense that he was not as big a fan of the proposed extension of Washington?s Green Line Metro to a transit center at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. He notes the huge expense of the project and the need for so many other things.
Couldn?t some of the funding for a rail extension come from the federal government as part of the Base Realignment and Closure Act? At this point he says that only helps focus the need for funding, but doesn?t really write the check. His goal is to “show citizens we are using every dollar effectively.”
One of his biggest challenges to date has been trying to staff up some of the agencies he oversees. He says he feels very comfortable with Neil Pederson at the State Highway Administration and is in the process of filling the administrator position at the Maryland Transportation Authority after Trent Kittleman submitted her resignation.
A bigger challenge is looming at the Maryland Transit Administration, where the administrator has not submitted a resignation despite the change in administration and has a special interest group in Annapolis trying to make a case to keep her on board.
At some point, Porcari says, you feel the curse of the proverb that says “May you live in interesting times.”
These are very interesting times for a person in his position.
The needs are great and the challenges in getting things accomplished are great, as well. In speaking with John Porcari, though, one gets the sense that he is energized by the challenges and very much up to the tasks ahead.
Questions, comments, random musings? Write to [email protected].
