Md. Vows to Help Counties Cope With Military Growth

Plan Includes Funding Road Projects in Bethesda

Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown pledged yesterday that the state will pay for "a substantial portion" of more than $70 million in transportation projects sought by Montgomery County as it prepares for the expansion of the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda.

At the State House yesterday, Brown (D) presented Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) with Maryland's final "action plan" to prepare for the growth expected at Maryland military bases as part of the Pentagon's 2005 base realignment and closure plan, known as BRAC.

The report includes few funding specifics beyond what is already in the state capital improvements plan. Brown and Maryland Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari said details of the projects and the timetables on which they would be delivered are still being worked out as part of the state's budget process. The governor will release his budget next month.

Concerned about the impact of the Navy's plans to nearly double the number of patients and visitors at the hospital, Montgomery County officials have asked the state to pay for more than $70 million in road projects, including widening Wisconsin Avenue and adding turn lanes at several congested intersections.

"I can tell you that of that $70 million, we're going to fund a substantial portion of those projects," Brown said in an interview after the report's release.

Arthur Holmes Jr., Montgomery's director of public works and transportation, expressed optimism yesterday that the county would receive state aid for road projects around the Navy hospital. "The state is going to live up to its responsibilities," he said.

But Holmes said it might be difficult to get all the improvements done before 2011, when Walter Reed Army Medical Center is set to shut down and send as many as 2,500 of its employees to Bethesda.

"You always know you're working against time," Holmes said. "Will all of this be in place in time? I don't know about that."

Brown and Porcari also said the state is considering how to pay for other road priorities brought by BRAC, including calls for projects around Fort Meade in Anne Arundel County, which is to receive about 5,700 new government jobs and thousands more contractors by 2011.

"We'll have announcements very soon," Porcari said.

According to information released by Brown's office, the Maryland Department of Transportation has identified 26 BRAC-related projects in the state's draft 2008-2013 capital transportation budget and in the Maryland Transportation Authority's six-year capital budget. The state has allocated $1.6 billion for some of the projects, among them the widening of Interstate 95 north of Baltimore and the widening of Maryland Route 175 near Fort Meade.

In addition, the state will spend $370 million in the next five years to improve the MARC rail commuter line, adding seats, trips and wireless Internet access. By 2015, the report says, Maryland will invest about $1 billion to expand MARC service, eventually extending lines through Maryland to Northern Virginia and Delaware.

O'Malley and Brown both declared yesterday that "Maryland is ready" for the growth being brought by BRAC, but each acknowledged that the state faces long-term challenges in accommodating that growth.

"BRAC will be here in 2011, but 2011 isn't an end date," O'Malley said, adding that the state has an obligation to improve the quality of life for future Maryland residents.

Said Brown, "We're not going to wake up in 2011 and read headlines that everything's perfect, we can go home."