Maryland Route 200

This article is about the current Maryland Route 200. For the former highway, see Maryland Route 200 (former).

Toll plate yellow.svg
Maryland Route 200 Toll marker
Maryland Route 200 Toll
Intercounty Connector
Map
Maryland Route 200's routing highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by MDTA
Length17.468 mi[1] (28.112 km)
ExistedFebruary 23, 2011–present
HistoryCompleted on November 7, 2014
Major junctions
West end I-370 near Gaithersburg
Major intersections
East end US 1 near Laurel
Location
CountryUnited States
StateMaryland
CountiesMontgomery, Prince George's
Highway system
← MD 198→ MD 201

Maryland Route 200 (MD 200), also known as the Intercounty Connector or ICC, is an 18.8-mile (30.3 km) controlled-access toll road in the U.S. state of Maryland. It connects Gaithersburg in Montgomery County and Laurel in Prince George's County, both of which are suburbs of Washington, D.C. The ICC was one of the most controversial Maryland road projects; opposition to the highway stalled the project for decades, and construction did not begin until 60 years after the highway's initial approval.

The highway was originally proposed in 1950, was 32 miles (51 km) in length, and part of the Washington Outer Beltway. While other parts of the Outer Beltway were canceled, the ICC and the Fairfax County Parkway remained on master plans. The road's long history as an unbuilt proposed road stems from the controversy that has surrounded it over the years, including the cost of about $2.38 billion[2] to complete the highway and related environmental mitigation.

Proponents of the highway claimed that it would improve the flow of interregional traffic, relieve traffic congestion on local roads, spur economic development, and enhance access to Baltimore-Washington International Airport.[3] Opponents of the highway claimed that the road would instead harm significant traffic flow characteristics, harm the environment, and disrupt established communities through which it passes.[4] They also argued that "environmental degradation would immediately occur from the construction (loss of forests, wetlands, and animal habitats), [and instill] long-term consequences (air pollution and carbon emissions from additional driving, more sprawl development, less money to fund mass transit projects, etc.)."[5]

Fulfilling a 2002 campaign promise, Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich pushed to begin construction of the road and conducted a formal groundbreaking in October 2006.[6] With additional support from his successor, Governor Martin O'Malley,[7] construction began on November 13, 2007.[8] The first segment, from Interstate 370 (I-370) to MD 28, opened on February 23, 2011, while the extension to I-95 opened on November 22, 2011. The final segment to U.S. Route 1 (US 1) opened on November 7, 2014. MD 200 uses all-electronic tolling, with tolls payable through E-ZPass or Video Tolling.

  1. ^ Highway Information Services Division (December 31, 2015). Highway Location Reference. Maryland State Highway Administration. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  2. ^ "Final FY 2017–2022 Consolidated Transportation Program" (PDF). Maryland Department of Transportation. September 20, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
  3. ^ Meyer, Eugene (September–October 2013). "The Road Less Traveled". Bethesda Magazine. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  4. ^ "Proposed Highway Would Hurt Air, Congestion". Environmental Defense Fund. March 16, 2005. Archived from the original on August 13, 2007. Retrieved September 27, 2007.
  5. ^ Blocker, Alexander (November 23, 2011). "Maryland residents resist highway construction (Intercounty Connector/MD 200), 1980–2011". nvdatabase.
  6. ^ Sedam, Sean R.; Ford, C. Benjamin (October 18, 2006). "Ehrlich declares ICC under way—again". The Gazette. Gaithersburg, MD. Retrieved May 16, 2007.
  7. ^ Brandus, Paul (November 3, 2006). "ICC: The Selling of a Road". Washington, DC: WTOP-FM. Retrieved May 16, 2007.
  8. ^ Shaver, Katherine (November 29, 2007). "With Obstacles Overcome, Highway Work Begins". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 6, 2007.