Maryland's governor defended some controversial cuts to transportation in the state's budget.
There’s a $3.3 billion shortfall in the state’s six-year transportation spending plan, and Gov. Wes Moore says major cuts are necessary.
“This is going to be a time of discipline, a time of choices, but a time where Maryland is going to move fast and Maryland is going to be bold,” he said.
A new Beltway interchange at Medical Center Drive in Largo and other future expansion projects would not get funded.
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Tough choices could include higher fees at the Motor Vehicle Administration, shutting down some of the smaller satellite branches and scaling back hours.
Other measures could include raising tolls and parking fees at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.
“Part of the challenge we have, right now, is as a state our economy has just been stagnant, where over the past five years our economy has grown 0.2%,” Moore said.
Transportation
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His administration cites gas tax revenue amid the advent of electric vehicles as one factor. It proposes closing that gap by enforcing higher registration fees for electric vehicles.
The state could also scale back spending on road maintenance projects by 30% amid rising infrastructure construction costs. That could affect everything from pothole repair to litter clean up.
The $250 million slated for infrastructure improvements needed to accompany the state’s premier project -- moving the FBI headquarters to Greenbelt -- remains intact.
Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said the budget is a two-way street: cuts in some places and investments elsewhere.
“You'll see the investments at the New Carrolton Metro and along the Blue Line corridor,” she said. “So, as we are experiencing some of the revenue shortfalls that we’re seeing, we’re also creating a way forward.”
Environmental groups like the Sierra Club criticized the state for stepping back from measures to reduce carbon output and promote cleaner ways to get around.
In the end, the way transportation money is raised needs a tune-up, Moore said.
“We’ve got to change our state’s business model, because you cannot continue having a transportation trust fund that continues to rely upon revenue sources that are not giving you what you need in order to have a sustainable future,” he said.
The state legislature gets the transportation plan in January.
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