As part of the four planning studies currently underway in the state of Maryland for expanding the Capital Beltway, A.D. Marble and Company was contracted to inventory the potential environmental impacts of the alternatives being considered. The company grouped the environmental effects into three categories: 1) socioeconomic, 2) cultural, and 3) natural environmental resources.
The socio-economic environmental impacts revolve around land use, minority population concentration, and household income. The severity of right-of-way issues on Maryland's side of the Beltway has the potential to cause a significant amount of public opposition and outcry. SHA's alternatives for Beltway expansion call for only 10 lanes vice 12 lanes due to the right-of-way constraints. Even with the addition of one lane on each side of the Beltway, the state will likely have to uproot many residences and businesses.
Cultural resources could also be affected by any project to expand the Beltway as there are a number of known and potential historical or archeological sites in the area of study. If a project were to be pursued, it has been determined that a Phase I archeological investigation would be required wherever it is likely that ground will be disturbed.
The natural environmental resources aspect of the study includes several components. First, an air and noise quality analysis will be done to ensure conformity with regional and local standards. Second, the state has to complete a technical documentation of all potential impacts on parks, communities, and the regional economic environment. Finally, there will be a Secondary and Cumulative Effects Analysis to assess long-term effects on environmental resources as they relate to other development projects in the region. Specific natural resources potentially threatened by the project include several 100-year floodplains and associated wetlands such as the Potomac River, Rock Creek, and numerous small tributaries. Also making the situation problematical is the fact that in Montgomery County the Potomac River is designated as a Scenic River under the Maryland Wild and Scenic Rivers Program, requiring that the qualities of the river are protected and enhanced. Additionally, 44 state-listed rare, threatened, and endangered species of plants and animals have been identified in the vicinity of the Beltway corridor.
The National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) process is a necessary component of the highway construction process if federal approval is required due to the use of federal funds, federal loan guarantees, or approval for the use of tolls on interstate highways. Given the cost and financing circumstances of the state under each of the alternatives currently on the table, it is likely that Maryland will at least strongly consider incorporating federal funding, thereby necessitating the NEPA review process. However, the NEPA process is often seen as one of the most cumbersome obstacles facing project implementation.
The primary environmental hurdles therefore are the potential of not meeting federal, state, and local standards, the difficulty of navigating the various analysis and approval processes that must be completed, and the fierce opposition from environmental groups and local citizens that the project is likely to ignite.