Photo by Bill Green Frederick residents Nancy and Dave Hamstead study a large aerial photograph Thursday that shows some of the planned highway projects at a public hearing. Purchase this photo

The Maryland Transit Administration and the State Highway Administration held a public hearing regarding the I-270/U.S. 15 Multi-Modal Corridor Study at Monocacy Middle School.

The study area includes 31 miles of proposed highway improvements along the I-270 and U.S. 15 corridor between I-370 in Montgomery County and north of Biggs Ford Road in Frederick .

Russ Anderson, SHA project manager, said the improvements in Frederick County are predominantly to I-270. There are also proposed changes to U.S. 15 and Md. 121 in the county.

During Thursday's public hearing, Bob Smariga spoke on behalf of the Frederick Area Committee for Transportation, saying the traffic on I-270 isn't just a matter of people driving to or from jobs. "It's people vacationing, people going to see the Congress," he said. "FACT believes that we need to improve roads so we can improve traffic."

Currently offering a variety of transportation modes, including interstate highway, high-occupancy vehicle lanes, commuter rail and bus service, the corridor is highly congested at many locations in the project area, SHA and MTA said.

Traffic in the study area is expected to increase, according to SHA and MTA, because of continuing population and employment growth, causing more travel through the project area.

Some proposed alternatives could displace between 12 and 83 residential properties and approximately five to 36 businesses.

Community facilities and services located in the study area will not be affected. They include 12 schools, two libraries, 16 places of worship, three post offices, six public safety departments and eight hospitals.

According to the SHA/MTA pamphlet, cost estimates for the build alternatives range between $4.3 billion and $4.7 billion. The estimates represent total project costs, including project planning, engineering, design, rights of way, transit vehicles and construction.

Funding is anticipated through a combination of federal highway funds and Maryland Transportation Trust Fund money. Tolls collected on proposed express toll lanes will also provide capital.

SHA and MTA said that "each of the build alternatives would optimize public investment by increasing the efficient use of the transportation system by reducing travel times and encouraging the use of transit."

Humcha Hariprakasha is worried about the "green" effects of traffic congestion. "We are (using) a lot of gas, and it is not good for the environment," he said during his public testimony.

The remaining steps in the project planning process require an evaluation of public and agency comments received at public hearings, MTA and SHA administrator concurrence, location approvals from the Federal Transit Administration and Federal Highway Administration, and design approval from the Maryland transit administrator and state highway administrator.

Anderson said that if all goes well, SHA hopes the process will take about two or three years to complete. He said it ultimately depends on funding. The project is currently funded through the planning stage. Of the seven proposed options, one transit alternative and one highway alternative will be chosen.

Public comments are being accepted through July. Residents may submit their comments to www.i270multimodalstudy.com, e-mail them to randerson2@sha.state.md.us or send them to the State Highway Administration, 707 N. Calvert St., Mailstop 3-C01, Baltimore, MD 21202.