After four decades of planning, numerous court challenges and enough endless debate to raise the surface temperature of the Chesapeake Bay a degree or two, the Intercounty Connector is finally under construction, on time and on budget, at least so far. Members of the Maryland General Assembly must continue to fund this much-needed road project, not use it to “solve” their self-inflicted budget crisis. They’ll be sorely tempted. After state officials announced last week that revenues were running $333 million below anticipated levels, the state Senate’s budget and taxation committee targeted the ICC’s financing plan as one way to “save” $32 million. The State House should reject this shell game. Legislators committed $265 million from the general fund to help pay for the ICC. Failing to keep that commitment would be a disaster for everybody who has to drive in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.
The general fund contribution is in addition to $1.6 billion in toll-backed bondsand cash from the Maryland Transportation Authority, $750 million in federal grant anticipation bonds, $180 million from the state Transportation Trust Fund, and $19 million from the federal government. Any tinkering with this complex funding arrangement will inevitably result in higher costs for Maryland taxpayers, who were hit up with $1.4 billion more in new taxes during last November’s special session. Enough is enough.
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The 18-mile highway linking Interstate 270 in Montgomery County with I-95 in Prince George’s is not just a road project that will carry more than 100,000 vehicles per day.
It also includes 11 miles of bicycle/pedestrian trails, providing improved access to three Metrorail stations, and will provide managed congestion lanes for currently unavailable east-west express bus service. All of these transportation improvements are critically needed in the most congested region of the state.
Targeting a $32 million drop in the general fund bucket of $15.2 billion won’t solve the real problem anyway. Gov. Martin O’Malley’s latest budget continues a pattern of unsustainable overspending. The Maryland budget has grown nearly 9 percent annually for the past three years, far outpacing taxpayers’ ability to support it. Hence the current $333 million chasm between what Annapolis wants to spend and incoming revenue — even after O’Malley’s huge tax increase. By all means, cut the budget. Start with the governor’s office, where 47 of O’Malley’s top aides got $600,000 in pay raises this year, even though some of them already earn six figures. But keep your sticky fingers off the ICC.
