Citizens for Traffic Relief is a nonprofit grassroots coalition of Maryland citizens, businesses, and nonprofit organization focused on investing in Maryland’s transportation network to improve our quality of life and expand opportunity for everyone in Maryland.

We support Maryland’s plan to use private funding to add congestion managed express lanes to I-270 and on the Beltway in order to increase travel options, reduce delays, and improve transit service in these key corridors. Providing a reliable option that is free for transit and other high occupancy vehicles will encourage more people to carpool, ride a bus, and further reduce traffic on both the managed and unmanaged travel lanes. As a result, this plan will benefit everyone in Maryland.

Join us and the majority of Maryland residents who support the Maryland Traffic Relief Plan to keep Maryland moving!

Suburban Maryland consistently ranks as one of the worst places in the entire country for traffic congestion. While Northern Virginia has recently invested billions in transportation infrastructure with billions more planned, Maryland continues falling further and further behind.

As a result, economic growth in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties has stagnated as more and more companies seek to locate in Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. Maryland needs a better transportation network to remain regionally competitive and ensure Maryland residents have access to more economic opportunities and higher paying jobs.

Thankfully, Maryland has a plan.

The Maryland Traffic Relief Plan would use private funding to add two congestion managed lanes in each direction on the Beltway and I-270, relieving congestion, increasing travel options, improving transit service, incentivizing carpooling, and saving money.

• Relieve Congestion: The plan will expand the capacity of our transportation network, reducing delays by up to 35% and relieving congestion for everyone. By charging single occupancy drivers a fee to use the new managed lanes, Maryland will also be able to prevent future congestion.
• Increase Travel Options and Reliability: During certain times of day, I-270 and the Beltway resemble parking lots more than freeways. The express lanes will provide a reliable, congestion free option for your important trips. Whether it’s picking up your child from daycare or taking them to the hospital for an emergency, Maryland drivers will now have the option to pay for a reliable trip when they need it the most.
• Improve Transit Service: The Plan will allow local transit agencies to provide bus service on the express lanes, increasing service and reliability – two key factors in attracting new transit riders.In addition, the managed lane will connect Maryland and Virginia over the American Legion Bridge, enabling express bus service between Montgomery County and Tysons Corner.Finally, as a part of the Public-Private Partnership agreement, the plan will invest new money into transit service in the I-495 and I-270 corridors.
• Incentivize Carpooling: High Occupancy Vehicles (HOV) with three or more passengers will be able to use the express lanes for free!
• Saves Money: The Plan is privately-funded through a public-private partnership, which means more public money is available to fund other key transportation improvements and priorities throughout Maryland.