Marylanders remain frustrated with long commutes and increasing traffic. But the Ehrlich Administration’s transportation policy remains focused essentially on one single road construction project – the Intercounty Connector. The state’s transportation policy suffers from lack of planning and funding for the Maryland’s increasingly serious transportation needs.

Fast Track for the Intercounty Connector - FAILING
Governor Ehrlich’s top transportation priority is the Intercounty Connector (ICC), a more than $3 billion highway project proposed for Montgomery and Prince George’s counties that critics claim will be environmentally destructive and do little to alleviate traffic problems in the region. In 2005, the Administration proposed to borrow over $750 million of Maryland’s future federal transportation dollars, which will severely limit federal funds for important transit, roads, and other transportation solutions for decades.

In April 2006, environmental groups criticized the environmental impact study prepared by the State Highway Administration as being incomplete, inadequate and biased. Governor Ehrlich officially “broke ground” on the ICC in May 2006.

Opposition to Purple Line - FAILING
This urgently needed and popular metro extension has ground to a halt under the Ehrlich Administration as much needed funds are steered to the ICC. While the Administration says they support this line, all efforts have been toward unworkable plans such as changing project from rail to buses. The Ehrlich Administration has not adequately funded planning for the Purple Line, causing further delays.

Cleaner Buses - INCOMPLETE
In April 2005, Ehrlich Administration representatives on the Metro Board helped kill a plan to purchase some 120 compressed natural gas buses for the Washington area transit system in favor of dirtier diesel buses. A handful of diesel-hybrid buses have been purchased for both the Metro fleet and the Baltimore area MTA. In April 2006 Governor Ehrlich announced the state will add ten new hybrid buses to its fleet, with federal funding contributing 80 percent of the costs. If the pilot program works, the state hopes to add 300 hybrid buses over the next six years.

Overhaul of Bus Routes in Baltimore - INCOMPLETE
Taking on a huge challenge, the Ehrlich Administration began an effort to overhaul bus routes in Baltimore for the first time. Although credited for taking on a long-overdue project, many of the changes turned out to be controversial and difficult on longtime riders. The Administration had to back off parts of the plan, saying it would implement the overhaul in phases.

Transportation Planning Panels - NEEDS IMPROVEMENT
The legislature passed bills in 2005 and 2006 that would have established, respectively, a commission to study Southern Maryland Transportation needs and a commission to study the Red Line corridor in Baltimore. The Governor vetoed both. In the case of the Red Line corridor study, Ehrlich created his own panel by executive order.