The state has responded to a request by Rockville’s Mayor and Council to formally commit to not take homes or breach sound wall boundaries as part of a proposed project to widen Interstates 270 and 495.
“Our detailed evaluation will look at solutions with the strategic objectives of not affecting property and maximizing congestion relief for Marylanders,” state transportation Secretary Pete K. Rahn wrote in an Oct. 19 letter to the Mayor and Council.
Sound barriers “will be treated as the right-of-way line” or “may be replaced with taller and longer barriers within the highway’s right of way” if analysis shows larger barriers are required in the future, Rahn wrote.
Rahn’s letter follows a Sept. 28 letter from the Mayor and Council to the governor and state transportation officials that cited public statements by Hogan and Rahn that no homes will be taken.
“We respectfully request that Governor Hogan commit his intentions to writing and place them on the I-270 & I-495 project web site,” the Mayor and Council wrote. “Additionally, please confirm that the sound walls in place will not be breached.”
The most recent exchange follows efforts by the Mayor and Council and by Rockville communities to meet with state officials and to generate comments urging the state to protect neighborhoods abutting I-270.
To learn more and comment on the project, visit https://495-270-p3.com/contact.
