Please consider making a donation!
The fight continues against the I-495 and I-270 toll lanes project, and we will need more donations to allow us to continue to have legal support for upcoming critical decision moments and litigation. Thank you for supporting this important work!
The Latest
Since 2017, with your help, Sierra Club and our allies have fought resolutely to oppose the plan put forward by then Governor Hogan to widen the I-495 (the Capital Beltway) and I-270 with four new toll lanes (two toll lanes per direction).
Over the last two years, we raised over $100,000 in funds needed to hire lawyers and technical experts to review and critique important environmental documents.
On August 25, 2022 the Maryland Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration announced the approval of the environmental review process for the project known as a “Record of Decision." While the scope of environmental review was limited to added toll lanes on the American Legion Bridge, Western portion of the Beltway, and lower I-270, there are many signs pointing to the fact that this is a plan for the whole Beltway.
Thanks to your support of the Smart Growth Defense Fund, on October 11, 2022, the Maryland Chapter of the Sierra Club, NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), Friends of Moses Hall, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation filed a lawsuit against the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The lawsuit seeks to compel MDOT and FHWA to fix the errors in their environmental review and reconsider this project in light of the full range of damage it would cause to communities and ecosystems.
On March 10, 2023, in news no one expected, the Transurban-led consortium working on the contract to add two private toll lanes per direction on I-495 and I-270, announced its withdrawal from the project! This is a major development that could help turn things for the better. However, the proposal is still part of the state’s plan and we are urging the Moore Administration to cancel the project. We are fighting against the whole harmful proposal for supersized highways and privatization of our core transportation infrastructure.
There had been indications that the Moore Administration might shift course on the project, but on August 21, 2023 the Moore Administration announced that it was seeking a $2.4 billion federal grant and potentially $800 million in state funds for the project that would still follow the Record of Decision for the project that was put forward under the Hogan Administration.
So advocacy and community groups need to keep engaged and take action. While marketed as a multimodal plan with transit elements, the same underlying toll lane highway expansion project remains.
To meet the ongoing challenges associated with this project, we need to raise an estimated $40,000 in the MD Smart Growth Defense Fund in 2024 to:
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Be as strong as we can be in the legal arena, including hiring technical experts as needed
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Continue to work with partners and a law firm that advises us on legal strategy
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Take advantage of opportunities for advocacy and influence
We would be honored if you would contribute to our efforts!
Donations to support this work through the Maryland Smart Growth Defense Fund are made to the Sierra Club Foundation and are tax deductible.
To Donate
To donate by credit card, click here.
- Write check to "Sierra Club Foundation". In the memo, write "MD Smart Growth Defense Fund".
- Mail to: Sierra Club Foundation | 2101 Webster Street, Suite 1250 | Oakland, CA 94612
- If needed, Sierra Club Foundation tax ID number (TIN/EIN) is 94-6069890. Phone: (415) 995-1780.
- After sending a contribution, you would then receive a confirmation letter from the Sierra Club Foundation for your records.
To make a contribution via a charitable fund or donor-advised fund
- Ask your fund manager to transfer to "The Sierra Club Foundation, Federal tax ID number (TIN/EIN): 94-6069890.
- In the memo, put "Maryland Chapter - Smart Growth Defense Fund"
- Once the transfer has been initiated, email Josh Tulkin josh.tulkin@mdsierra.org, and Christina Monroe christina.monroe@sierraclubfoundation.org, (415) 995-1787, with the date, contribution amount, financial institution, and any tracking code.
Background
Sierra Club Foundation launched the "MD Smart Growth Defense Fund" to fight against the massive I-495 and I-270 private toll lane expansion boondoggle proposed under former Gov. Hogan. If this project as originally designed were to be constructed, we would see more air pollution, more greenhouse gas emissions, and the destruction of 1,500 acres of forest canopy, 47 parks, 30 miles of streams, and more than 550 acres of new impervious surfaces.
Together, over the years, Sierra Club and our incredible partners and allies have sounded the alarm over the hidden costs and safety issues, limited and exclusionary transportation benefits, and irreparable harm from this project. Our efforts have contributed importantly to gaining a fuller public disclosure of the project’s true costs and impacts. We generated thousands of messages and calls to decision makers, hundreds of tweets and social media posts, and dozens of press hits. Thanks to the Smart Growth Defense Fund, we were able to work with lawyers, partners, and experts to prepare a powerful legal and technical review of the project supplemental impact statement (SDEIS) and Final Environmental Impact Statement. Read more here: Over 50 Groups and City Deliver a Sharp Legal Critique Challenging Gov. Hogan’s I-495 and I-270 Toll Lane Plan
For further details on this project’s journey and what we and our partners have accomplished, read this short background report. For more detailed information, see our page on relevant news coverage.
In spite of our significant efforts and despite heavy local opposition, a protest by a losing bidder, and numerous incomplete steps, this harmful and flawed project continues to move forward.
On June 17, 2022, the state issued the project’s Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). We led efforts to critique this new document with the support of volunteers, lawyers, and technical experts who have supported us in the past. Many members of our community and partner groups have significant expertise and have provided review of the documents for free, giving a major boost to our efforts.
In October 2022, Sierra Club’s Maryland Chapter, Friends of Moses Hall, National Trust for Historic Preservation, and NRDC filed a federal lawsuit to halt the toll lane project. Read more about it here. The Washington Post article about it is here.
We are honored to fight this harmful, misguided toll lane proposal alongside dedicated partners and we thank you for your support.
Organizations endorsing the Smart Growth Defense Fund include: Audubon Naturalist Society; Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church Environmental Justice Ministry, Bethesda; Citizens Against Beltway Expansion; Dontwiden270.org; Friends of Moses Hall; Glen Echo Heights Mobilization; Greater Greater Washington; Indivisible Howard County; Maryland Conservation Council; Maryland League of Women Voters; Neighbors of the Northwest Branch; North Hills of Sligo Creek Civic Association; Strong Future Maryland; Woodside Forest Civic Association.