Hiker-Biker trail back into ICC Plans

[7rider]

Hey MD folks....
WTOP reports on the ICC's Hiker/Biker trail today.
They'll be accepting public comments at a public session on July 10th.
I'm still a little torn on the ICC in general. The idea of cutting off time for travel to G'burg is appealing, but I'm not convinced the cost justifies it. The hiker-biker trail certainly added appeal - particular for DH looking for a safe bike commuting route into his work in G'burg.
For non-local folks, the ICC (Inter-County Connector) is a very controversial highway project joining the communities of Laurel and Gaithersburg in Montgomery County, MD, just north of Washington DC. It cuts through some nice open area - and opens up access to a lot of new area for development, adding to suburban sprawl. In fact, a driving force for this is a HUGE development project in Laurel. The bulldozers are already hard at work on that project.
The trail was originally part of the plan, but in a (as one commenter in the TOP article put it) "bait and switch" move, was pulled - citing the usual cost overrun concerns. A trail that is like <0.1% of the total budget of the project is the first to get axed. Hmmmm....not much savings there.

[HillSlugger]

A while back, through the WABA website, I sent a letter of support for the trail. I was pleased to get actual responses from members of the Montgomery County Council and other council employees. Today, I received this:

Dear Ms. Thomas,

Thank you for contacting me with your strong support for a continuous hiker-biker trail along the entire ICC right-of-way. I truly appreciate having the benefit of your views on this matter.

In March, 2005, the Montgomery County Council transmitted its position to the State of Maryland in favor of a 10-foot wide shared-use path along the entire stretch of the ICC. Unfortunately the State did not concur, and it designed the ICC with a hiker-biker trail along part of its length, with connections to surface roads in between. As the ICC is a state road, it is within the purview of the state, not the county, to design the adjacent hiker-biker trail.

In the coming year, the Council will take up the question of whether the hiker-biker trail should remain in the county's master plan as a trail adjacent to the ICC along its entire length. I believe it should remain in the master plan since it will allow for the completion of the missing hiker-biker trail segments at some date in the future.

At this point, however, the state's construction will proceed on the ICC with the bike trail built along only part of its length, despite the county's public position in favor of a complete and continuous trail.

Thank you for sharing your views with me, and please feel free to do so again in the future.

Sincerely,

Roger Berliner

Looks like it's lost for now.