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October 22, 2004
Red Line Open Houses Scheduled MTA's Red Line project team has scheduled public open houses along the Red Line corridor to present alternative light rail and Bus Rapid Transit alignments. Participants can expect to see concepts for alignments mapped on detailed aerial photographs as well as hear a formal presentation from the project team.
Despite New Money for Red and Green Lines, Highways Still Dominate Transportation Spending The Maryland Department of Transportation's draft capital budget is currently being shared in meetings with members of the General Assembly and county elected officials. The budget covers all state transportation programs for fiscal years 2005 to 2010, and includes new revenue sources passed by the 2004 General Assembly. The six-year budget totals $9 billion, the third highest level in the past decade and far above budgets from the late 1990's which ranged from $5 billion to $5.5 billion. Highway projects continue to dominate the picture, increasing from 51% of the total last year to 57% of the total this year. Transit totals 27% of the capital budget. The Washington region continues to receive the lion's share of transit funding, receiving 52% of the total allocated to transit. 36% is for projects in the Baltimore region, and the remaining 12% is for shared projects or other regions of the state. Notably, the majority of the funding needed for Governor Ehrlich's $1.7 billion priority, the Intercounty Connector, is not yet shown. In accordance with requirements adopted by the General Assembly, MDOT will share with them a finance plan for the ICC before including it in the budget. To see this information graphically, click here.
State/Local Partnerships Needed for Successful Station Area Planning A characteristic virtually all new transit projects have in common is proactive land use planning around stations. As the Urban Land Institute's Robert Dunphy pointed out in an op-ed piece in The Sun last month, regions benefit more from transit that serves busy urban places which in turn need public help getting off the ground. Attention to land use was not historically a primary concern for transit planners, but Smart Growth planning principles and increasing Congressional scrutiny of the effectiveness of federal transit investments met in a "perfect storm" that resulted in land use becoming part of the criteria used to develop funding recommendations. To ensure the Baltimore region's projects are ultimately competitive, public and private sector planners are preparing work plans that will proceed simultaneously with alignment studies. While Transportation Secretary Robert Flanagan may have sold this work short in his comments at a September transportation seminar, his agency has been a willing partner in the process. A recent joint letter to the editor of The Sun from the Baltimore City chiefs of transportation and economic development signaled that the city received the message, and prospects are good for a continued partnership.
Funding for Transit on November 2nd Ballots Nationwide Regions, 30 in all from Phoenix to Parkersburg, West Virginia, have put transit-related ballot measures up for a vote on November 2nd. Most are seeking voter approval to establish or extend special dedicated taxes for transit, although some such as Initiative 83 in Seattle, are intended to stop previously-approved projects. One of the largest efforts is in Phoenix which seeks to extend an existing 1/2 cent sales tax levied in Maricopa County to fund a $16 billion transportation initiative that includes both highway and transit projects. In Denver, voters will consider funding "Fastracks," a $4.7 billion 12-year transit expansion funded by a sales tax of four cents per $10. Some purchases are exempt, including groceries, prescription drugs, gasoline, and residential electricity and heating costs. For a complete listing of 2004 ballot measures, click here.
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