It doesn’t take much to get area residents riled up at a community meeting. Just say “connector road.”
Whether it’s the recently approved and governor-supported 18-mile Intercounty Connector road that’s stoked controversy across both Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties, or the Campus Connector road university officials would hope will one day connect Comcast Center to the Capital Beltway, activists across a broad spectrum last night railed against both at a county transportation meeting.
College Park’s City Hall was wall-to-wall with anti-ICC supporters who contend the road planned to span Montgomery County and feed traffic onto Route 1 in Beltsville would never alleviate the crush of Beltway traffic. The proposed Purple Line Metro route, that would connect the Bethesda and New Carrollton Metro stops and would have two stops in College Park, is the ideal solution, they said.
Local politicians and residents also pointed out that Route 1 should be a priority.
So when it came to the Campus Connector road, which could cut through College Park Woods and the federally-owned Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, city council members used the occasion to tell the Prince George’s County Council Transportation, Housing and Environment Committee exactly how they felt.
“This is something the city of College Park has happily agreed with the university [on],” District 3 College Park City Councilman Andrew Fellows said of the Purple Line and Route 1 redevelopment. “Where we disagree is on the [Campus] Connector road.”
The city council was particularly rankled in December when university President Dan Mote agreed to write a letter to the state Department of Transportation in support of Route 1, but upon receiving the letter, members found Mote emphasized redevelopment from College Avenue to University Boulevard, and added a paragraph lobbying for the Campus Connector Road.
“I sat in this room for probably two years working on Route 1. The university got everything they wanted, and then they said, ‘Well, if you all want to do the part of Route 1 by the university, that’s fine,'” District 2 City Councilman Jack Perry said. “That’s wrong.”
No university officials were present at last night’s meeting or immediately available for comment. Student Government Association President Emma Simson, however, said while she understood why the university supported the Campus Connector road, the SGA had not taken an official position on that project or the Intercounty Connector.
“I personally believe that the Purple Line is the best solution to increase mobility between the two counties,” Simson said in an interview at the meeting. “I think it is most beneficial to students who tend not to have cars.”
College Park Mayor Stephen Brayman agreed with Simson, saying mass transit had a better chance at benefiting a wider range of people.
“We think that this would not only be a boom for College Park, but for Prince George’s County and Montgomery County, as well,” Brayman said. “Let us show Montgomery County that we can be the anchor and the hub.”
Graduate student Michael Martin, chair of the Sierra Club’s Maryland Chapter, added in an interview that university support for the Campus Connector road could divert funding from larger transportation projects.
“We’re facing some important challenges that really will determine the future of our city,” Martin said. “Why do you have to take a two ton car with you to by a gallon of milk?”
Contact reporter Mike Silvestri at silvestridbk@gmail.com.
