Senate Votes To Add Bike Path To ICC

The Senate voted Thursday to add a bicycle path along seven miles of the proposed Intercounty Connector but rejected an amendment opposing use of revenues from other toll facilities to help pay for the $2.4 billion highway in Montgomery and Prince George's counties.

The decisions were made as the Senate and House of Delegates neared final approval of an agreement on a plan to pay for the long-delayed highway that is intended to speed the flow of traffic in heavily congested suburban Washington.

Robert Flanagan, state transportation secretary, said the Ehrlich administration thinks the legislature is making a mistake by allowing his agency to sell only $750 million in so-called GARVEE bonds that are backed highway funds the state expects to receive from the federal government in future years. The Department of Transportation had planned to use $1 billion in GARVEE bonds to pay almost half the cost, but Democratic lawmakers said those bonds carry a higher interest rate and would have added unnecessarily to the cost of the ICC.

But Flanagan said by substituting $250 million in regular transportation revenues for the bonds, the legislature is siphoning off money his department needs to make safety improvements on existing highways.

"That's a policy decision that I think is unfortunate, but we'll make the adjustments we need to," Flanagan said.

During debate Thursday, a proposal by Sen. Leo Green, D-Prince George's, to require construction of the bicycle and hiking path was accepted without dissent after Green told senators that his plan had the approval of the Department of Transportation.

Green's amendment also calls for a study of the possibility of building a bicycle and hiking path along the entire 18 miles of the ICC. That had been considered during planning for the highway, but was rejected because it would add about $100 million to the cost.

Green said he doesn't know how much the shorter path will cost, but that it will be a lot less because the state already owns the right of way.

The Senate rejected on a 30-15 roll call an attempt by Sen. Norman Stone, D-Baltimore County, to attach an amendment specifying that it is the intent of the legislature that tolls on other facilities not be increased to help pay for the ICC.

Stone said his constituents already are unhappy because tolls were doubled last year on the Fort McHenry Tunnel, Baltimore Harbor Tunnel and Francis Scott Key Bridge.

Sen. Edward DeGrange, D-Anne Arundel, said the Maryland Transportation Authority opposed the amendment because "it could cause the (bond) rating agencies not to look favorably on our plans."

Sen. Lowell Stoltzfus, R-Somerset, also opposed the amendment, saying it could upset the "carefully devised plan" put together by the Department of Transportation for building the highway.

Stone and Sen. E.J. Pipkin, R-Queen Anne's, contended the amendment could not damage the rating that bond houses will give to the bonds used to finance construction because it merely expressed the intent of the legislature and did not prohibit raising tolls if that is necessary to pay for the ICC, which will also be a toll highway.

Pipkin said some protection for the public is needed because of the transportation authority's unfettered power to set tolls.

"The Maryland Transportation Authority gets together in a back room, decides what the increase is going to be and announces the increase," Pipkin said.

Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.