By Steuart Pittman
Leaders and Members of Broadneck Council of Communities,
Due to a previous commitment, I am unable to attend your September 23 meeting with Maryland Transportation Authority Director Jim Ports. In advance of that meeting I wanted to update you on my own thinking and the outcome of recent meetings I have had on Bay Bridge traffic.
I believe we are ready to move forward in partnership with Governor Hogan and the leadership of Queen Anne’s County on a plan to address traffic along the Route 50 corridor and eventual replacement of the aging Bay Bridge infrastructure.
I had a very productive call September 15 with Governor Hogan, and before that a series of meetings and calls with Queen Anne’s County leadership, a meeting withDirector Ports and his team, and in advance of all that a planning meeting with District 5 Councilwoman Amanda Fiedler and Broadneck Council Chair Pat Lynch.
As you know, the Broadneck Council and I worked together on Phase 1 NEPA study comments that challenged the plan to build a third span without addressing Route 50 corridor traffic flow. Our comments and the County Council Resolution 32-21 that reflected them, were duly noted at the state and federal level and gave us a seat at the table. Moving forward on any plan without Anne Arundel County’s support is difficult.
The compromise that allows our neighbors on the other side of the bridge and our partners at the state to move forward together is agreement on a replacement for the westbound span. That bridge has outlived its expected 50-year lifespan and will eventually need to be replaced. If we all go into the next NEPA phase with the goal of replacing that bridge in conjunction with a plan that moves traffic along the corridor without regular delays, we can create a plan that works for our county. That span would likely require more lanes than the current two, accommodate alternate transportation modes, and protect Sandy Point State Park and other sensitive environmental areas.
In the meantime, I have consistently advocated for near-term traffic solutions, including the accelerated shift to all-electric tolling and an automatic lane closure system to make the contra-flow changes faster and safer. I thanked Governor Hogan for both of those initiatives on our recent call. I am also still advocating for closure of the westbound on-ramp at Oceanic Road during westbound backups to prevent drivers from using our county roads as a detour.
While I will not be at the September 23 meeting, Lori Rhodes, who coordinates all land use departments for the county, will be there to represent me.
Please share your thoughts on this proposed way forward by emailing me at countyexecutive@aacounty.org.
Thank you for helping to make Anne Arundel County The Best Place For All.