In Maryland, most transportation priorities for the state agencies come as recommendations from the local level and the Beltway expansion project is not a priority for either county. In Montgomery County, there are at least 14 projects prioritized over the Beltway, most importantly the Intercounty Connector (ICC) that connects Montgomery County to Prince George's county.
Local officials and resident coalitions have argued that instead, Maryland should build an east-west transit link (called the Bi-County Transit-way or Purple Line), improve bus service, and make communities more pedestrian friendly. Prince George's County also does not include Beltway expansion on its 2007 Priority Project List for the State Consolidated Transportation Program. A County official explained to the research team that the enormity and cost of such a project did not warrant inclusion on their list. However, the County listed the Purple Line project as its number one priority for state transit.
Based on our interviews and research, it is clear that the ICC and Purple Line are much higher priorities, leaving little chance that a project as immense as Beltway expansion can gain traction. Citizen coalitions and local politicians frequently argue that a fully tunneled Purple Line would avoid disruption to dense local neighborhoods and provide a much needed transit solution for Maryland residents. However, studies have suggested that the Purple Line is not likely to divert more than two percent of the traffic away from the Beltway, and is unlikely to relieve congestion, as there is significant latent demand from those who currently chose other less convenient routes over the Beltway.
County officials are also wary of Beltway expansion coming at the expense of locally supported transit projects. Since the expansion would be financed by user fees this should not be an issue, but despite this, local residents continue to be opposed to any widening of the Beltway. Since the state looks to the local governments for its transportation priorities, the Beltway simply does not take precedence in Maryland.