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Health & Fitness

Bob Hydorn's - MVF Testimony Regarding M83

Testimony of Bob Hydorn, President

Montgomery Village Foundation Board of Directors

 

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Midcounty Corridor Study Public Hearing before the Joint U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Baltimore District) and Maryland Department of the Environment

August 7, 2013

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        The MVF Board and community have long opposed the construction of Highway M-83.  There is probably no other issue that affects so many aspects of quality of life for Montgomery Village residents. 

 

  As the build alternatives have emerged over the years, the Montgomery Village Community has carefully considered whether it could support one.

 

  But the Draft EER only confirms our reasons for opposing this road:  None of the build alternatives will reduce traffic congestion, contribute to the health of our residents, especially children, or protect the nearby parks and open spaces that have contributed to Montgomery Village’s character as a mature green community over the last 50 years.    

 

  The data collected by the County show that it is questionable that the build alternatives provide benefits sufficient to justify their expense and impact on the community. So in not even achieving the purpose and needs identified by the County, these alternatives will consume the funding that could be used to build transit projects that would improve conditions for Montgomery Village residents.

 

  We trust that the County will select Alternative 1, 2, or 5.  Those alternatives comply with the principles of the National Environmental Policy Act, which prefers an alternative that makes improvements in an existing road to an alternative that requires a new road through an environmentally sensitive area.

 

  Our objections to Alternatives 4, 8 and 9 are based on their negative impacts on three areas of great concern to Montgomery Village Residents:  traffic congestion, health and quality of life, and natural resources.

 

1.       Traffic Effects:  Here are some of the negative Traffic Effects we expect.

 

         

  Alternative 4 will introduce new volumes of traffic onto Wightman Road, which because of its local road character, has developed over the years with many residential and commercial entrances onto the road.  The additional traffic generated by Alternative 4 would be compounded by these many existing users as they try to access and leave a re-developed Wightman Road.

 

Alternative 8 would create new very heavy traffic volumes on Stedwick Road and Christopher Avenue, as travelers from the new road reach its end at Watkins Mill Road.  Stedwick Road, Christopher Avenue, and Montgomery Village Avenue will all become more congested as commuters attempt to continue their journeys on to Mid-county Highway. 

 

  Alternative 9 will increase traffic on MV roads as drivers seek to access and leave M-83 at connecting roads in Montgomery Village.  The local roads near the 4 schools on Watkins Mill Road can expect more traffic as driving patterns change to access and avoid M-83 in the Watkins Mill Area.

  

2.                  Health and Quality of Life : Here are some of the negative effects we expect on Health and Quality of Life for Montgomery Village Residents.

      

  Higher traffic volumes in general will create dangers for pedestrians and vehicles, and noise conditions that degrade the quality of life in  our residential community.

 

Alternative 4, with its additional lanes, medians, bike paths, and sound walls, attempts to change Wightman Road from a local road into a through road.  But such a transformation is impractical because of the many entrances and driveways along the road, which are consistent with its lower speed and level of use now.  Increasing the speed and volume of through-users will conflict with the needs of local users, and the mix can be expected to create safety and access issues that will defeat the benefits sought by creating a wider faster road.

 

  To implement alternative 4 will require enclosing the views and streetscapes within sound barriers to protect more than 400 homes that are expected to experience noise levels within 67decibels.  The sound barriers, medians, and left turn lanes necessary to protect pedestrian safety a will create a major roadway that will disconnect our community at the north part of the Village. 

 

  Alternative 8 can be expected to have similar impacts on residents and homes on Watkins Mill Road.

 

  In addition to the general impacts of increased traffic, all of the communities  along the alternative 9 route can expect disruptive effects ranging from loss of property value, loss of long-standing community pedestrian and traffic patterns and impacts on common areas, such as parking lots.   

 

The Draft Environmental Effects Report notes that Alternatives 8 and 9 would create a loss of scenic natural lands, and create a “change in aesthetic character” for Watkins Mill Elementary School and neighboring residences.  This simple phrase seems to understate the far reaching impacts that can be expected.  Children and parents will have new traffic patterns to negotiate as different stages of the construction progress.  The recreation fields in MVF’s South Valley park are expected to be unusable at times during the construction, and the overall effects of the road on the students in the schools in close proximity to the four schools in the area seems not to have been considered in much detail in the Draft Environmental Effects Report.

 

 

 

3.                  Natural Resources Losses:   Here are some of the natural resources expected to be lost.

 

       Alternatives 4, 8 and 9 all have significant impacts on the streams in area, requiring some to be piped or relocated.  These alternatives all impact existing parklands including Blohm Park, South Valley Park, Great Seneca Stream Park, and North Greenway Stream Valley Park, in amounts estimated to range from 19 to almost 50 acres.  Tens of acres of forestland will be impacted, ranging from estimates of 31-76 acres.  

 

  According to the Draft Environmental Effects Report (EER), Alternative 9 would span the primary and secondary channels of Seneca Creek, and a 230-foot bridge would have to be constructed to cross Whetstone Run north of Watkins Mill Road.  Alternative 9 would also have 76.7 acres of forest impacts and 4.8 acres of FEMA-designated floodplain and would relocate 746 linear feet of perennial/intermittent stream and 243 linear feet of ephemeral stream.

 

  As noted above, for nearly 50 years, Montgomery Village has been developed to value open space and harmony with the surrounding natural resources.  Montgomery Village has strived to provide its residents with parks and recreational facilities within the Village itself, but maintaining the City and County resources nearby are important for Montgomery Village residents as well, and M-83 will have far-reaching environmental consequences on the surrounding resources. We believe that the loss of natural resources to M-83 within and beyond Montgomery Village is not a wise exchange for the minimal benefits others will receive from the road. 

 

  We urge the County, the State, and the Corps of Engineers to carefully weigh the negative effects of alternatives 4, 8 and 9 on Montgomery Village, the uncertain costs of the build alternatives, and the tenuous benefits to be achieved.  We believe  alternatives 1, 2 and 5 are better choices because they provide more certain benefits at less cost, with less disruption and harm to the community.  Alternatives 2 and 5 also conserve funding for other transit projects that will provide greater benefit to communities in the Mid-County Corridor.

 

  Thank you.

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