The commute may move more quickly in Virginia with new express lanes opening, but there's no relief on the horizon for drivers in Maryland, where money is at the root of the problem.
While express lanes between Springfield and just north of the Dulles Toll Road should give drivers a way around congestion, once they cross the American Legion Bridge and head into Maryland, the transportation improvements stop cold.
There remain no express lanes or high-occupancy vehicle lanes on Maryland’s side of the Beltway.
“The state does not have any dollars, and right now they have no plan, so the combination of no dollars and no plan – we’re just shaking our heads and saying, ‘Please, guys, just focus on this,’” Montgomery County Council President Roger Berliner said.
“We can’t just do nothing,” Berliner said. “We look across that river and we see what’s going on in Tysons Corner, and Montgomery County is competitive with Fairfax and we cannot afford to fall behind in this critical realm.”
“What is disappointing is to look across the American Legion Bridge and see absolutely nothing happening in Maryland. Nada,” said Lon Anderson, of AAA. “We remain hopeful that Rip Van Maryland will someday soon awaken from its long transportation slumber.”
