Has the ICC Proven Itself to be Folly?

Rippeon’s Point:

As the first section of the Intercounty Connector (ICC) opens, criticism over the infrastructure improvement project has reached a new crescendo. Those opposed to the roadway, Md. 200, are already lining up to label it a boondoggle and a waste of taxpayer funds. Many are claiming the new high-tech superhighway will do little to relieve congestion as the expensive tolls charged to use the road will significantly limit the number of passengers choosing to travel the route. Others simply believe the $2 billion-plus would have been better spent in other policy and budget areas as traffic and congestion rank low among problems for government to solve.

The fact of the matter is it’s simply too early to determine the true efficacy of this project.

I propose the adoption of a wait-and-see position of temperance. Seeing how the check for the ICC has already been written, there is little that finger pointing and rehashing of the decision to build the highway will accomplish.

I would like to remind critics of the ICC that the highway is in many ways congruous to the proposed building of the Metro Purple Line and even the Bus Rapid Transit plan for Montgomery County. Both are very expensive projects designed to reduce road traffic and improve commuting times. In addition, each proposal is based on the same methodology and data used to argue for, design, and implement the ICC. Perhaps the ICC, while granted a very expensive one, is an opportunity to gauge Maryland’s appetite for any future progressive transportation projects.

Ali’s Counterpoint:

Progressive? I think the ICC is about as far from a progressive transportation project as one can get. This road, which is the twisted love-child of the Duncan, Ehrlich and the Bush administrations cost taxpayers billions, damages environmentally sensitive areas, increases greenhouse gas emissions and even by the state government’s own estimation does nothing to reduce congestion on I-495. There are words other than "progressive" to describe this waste. But most of them have four letters.

To add insult to this injury, bureaucrats at the Maryland State Highway Administration have compounded this mess by making one bad decision after another. First, they set the toll rates amongst the highest in the nation, then they insisted on making the road accessible only by EZ-Pass holders. When I challenged them about the wisdom of their actions they appeared quite self-satisfied with their course of action. How dare anyone question their genius?

Well, I wonder if they are privately eating their crow now that we have seen headlines saying “”. The facts are glaringly simple:

1. Not enough commuters go between I-270 and I-95 to make the road feasible (many more go between I-270 and the Dulles Toll Road).  
2. The stratospheric toll rates render the ICC a luxury most will avoid.
3. Occasional users who might be willing to incur the high costs are highly discouraged because you can’t pay cash. There are no toll booths. Drivers must have an EZ-Pass.

People are voting with their feet (accelerators?). The number of people using the road is far less than expectations. When I drove down the road on a beautiful Sunday afternoon (when the road was still free) it was virtually empty. Certainly, the road is not yet complete. So things may yet change. But the early indications don’t bode well at all.

For those of us who opposed this road, it gives us little pleasure in being right. But it sure would be nice if longtime supporters of the ICC finally admitted their folly. Here’s me not holding my breath.

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