WASHINGTON — On the same day Maryland’s governor touted a plan to put $139 million toward widening a state road in Anne Arundel County, lawmakers passed a transportation bill he said he will veto.
On Thursday, Gov. Larry Hogan announced plans to invest $139 million to widen Md. 175, from Md. 295 to Mapes Road. This widening project would impact the Fort Mead area in the western part of Anne Arundel County, which has seen significant growth over the past 10 years.
The project for Md. 175 calls for expanding 3 miles of the road from two lanes to six lanes, the governor’s office said in a news release.
The improvements are needed to support increased employment around Fort Meade and the National Security Administration. The governor’s office said 52,000 workers rely on the road daily.
Funding for the project is part of the Hogan administration’s $472.2 million in transportation investments in Anne Arundel; those investments include $381.5 million for highways; $70.6 million for transit; and $317,326 in grants for highway safety and other programs.
The governor’s office announced several other projects Thursday.
Two major initiatives include the expansion of the 1-mile stretch of Md. 175, from Disney Road to Reece Road, from two lanes to six lines. Construction on the $43.7 million project is expected to start this fall and end in 2018.
Also, Hogan said design is underway for widening Md. 175 bridge and changing ramps at the Md. 295 interchange. That project is slated to cost $81.2 million; construction is expected to begin in 2018.
Meanwhile, the General Assembly has been scuffling over a bill that would require the Hogan administration to publicly evaluate transportation projects it has funded.
With just over a week to go in the legislative session in Annapolis, lawmakers in Maryland’s House and Senate voted in favor of a bill that creates a scoring system to determine which transportation projects move to the front of the line and which get shuffled to the back of the pack. Virginia has a similar mechanism.
Opponents in Maryland’s General Assembly say the plan is unfairly weighted in favor of Montgomery County. Supporters, including Sen. Guy Guzzone, D-Howard County, and Del. Al Carr, D-Montgomery County, say that’s not the case.
Carr tells WTOP the bill simply creates transparency “and it still allows flexibility in determining which projects move ahead.”
Speaking at the announcement of funding to widen Md. 175 near Fort Meade, Hogan told The Baltimore Sun the proposal is “a terrible piece of legislation” and said he would certainly veto it. He also said the plan would endanger projects like the one he was unveiling.
Speaking after the Senate vote in Annapolis, Senate President Mike Miller said the bill would do no such thing. Asked if he had enough votes to override a gubernatorial veto, Miller chuckled saying, “We’ll find out!”
In the House, Delegate Tony O’Donnell said the push to get the bill to the governor’s desk was pure politics. explaining that the bill’s supporters were moving to make sure that they’d have enough time for an override before the session ends April 11.
“The citizens of Maryland know what this legislature are doing — they know what you’re doing! They’re listening right now!”
Despite the deep divide in both chambers, the bill passed in the House and the Senate.
Under the bill, each transportation project would be measured on a 100-point scale in nine categories. Those with the highest scores would move forward for funding.
But should the administration decide to disregard the scoring, Carr says there’s no penalty.
