Montrose Parkway East

SHA/MCDOT want to extend Montrose Parkway to Parklawn Drive. Supporters of Friends of White Flint have differing opinions on this road. They’ve expressed opinions that range from “needed road to bring traffic from the east” to “good idea but a terrible SPUI intersection that needs to be changed” or “over my dead body will that road be built.”

Yesterday, the Coalition for Smarter Growth sent out an alert concerning funding (or more accurately, not funding) Montrose Parkway. I want to share it with you, in case there are Friends of White Flint supporters who want to participate in their email campaign urging the County Council  “to properly fund our school and transit needs, not the Montrose Parkway East extension.”  Here is the CSG alert.

Stop a highway, save a school

Badly-needed school funding, or an unneeded new highway in walkable White Flint: which should Montgomery County fund?

Before Thursday’s County Council hearing on the budget, tell councilmembers to properly fund our school and transit needs, not the Montrose Parkway East extension.

With the latest price tag clocking in at $140 million for just 8,000 feet, extending Montrose Parkway is an expensive boondoggle and incompatible with the walkable White Flint plan.

What’s a better use for this $140 million ($90 million in this six-year capital improvement program)? Properly funding new school construction and bus rapid transit.

We don’t want a new Montrose Parkway East undermining a walkable, transit-friendly White Flint. What we do want are top quality schools for our children and modern transit to attract and retain top employers, like Marriott, and the revenue they generate.

In tough fiscal times, we should put our tax dollars where they can do the most good: schools and transit, not the Montrose Parkway East extension.

This past January, Coalition for Smarter Growth supporters like you spoke up when County Executive Leggett’s budget contained over $300 million dollars for new roads and nothing for bus rapid transit or near term bus improvements. The County Executive heard you and committed funds to both. We know the power our community has when we speak up. Tell the County Council to fund schools and transit, not the Montrose Parkway East extension.

Thanks for all that you do,
Coalition for Smarter Growth