The I-495 & I-270 P3 Program will now be known as Op Lanes Maryland. The P3 Program has evolved from when we began four years ago, and our new name, Op Lanes Maryland, reflects this evolution as we continue to collaborate with Montgomery, Frederick and Prince George’s counties, community organizations, residents, businesses, agencies, regional partners and other stakeholders.
The New American Legion Bridge I-270 Traffic Relief Plan falls under the Op Lanes Maryland umbrella, replacing the 60-year-old American Legion Bridge and breaking one of the nation’s worst bottlenecks.
Through Op Lanes Maryland, we will continue working on exciting new transformative transportation options and opportunities to provide a balanced transportation network that meets the multimodal travel needs of our residents and businesses as the National Capital Region continues to grow in the decades ahead.
The Phase 1: New American Legion Bridge I-270 to I-70 Traffic Relief Plan is the first major project under Op Lanes Maryland. Upon Maryland Board of Public Works approval in August 2021, we executed a Phase P3 Agreement and have begun robust predevelopment work with Accelerate Maryland Partners, LLC (AM Partners) to collaborate with stakeholders on further reducing and avoiding potential impacts to advance Phase 1 South: American Legion Bridge I-270 to I-370 as the first section of the project.
This predevelopment work also will support completion of our ongoing Managed Lanes Study under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). If selected at the conclusion of the study, the Phase 1 South preferred alternative will deliver a new wider American Legion Bridge and two dynamically priced high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes in each direction from the vicinity of the George Washington Memorial Parkway across the bridge to I-270, and north on I-270 to I-370 with no action on I-495 east of the I-270 east spur at this time.
Buses and high occupancy vehicles (HOV3+) will be able to use the new HOT lanes free of charge while drivers with less than three occupants in their vehicles may choose to pay a dynamically priced toll for a more reliable trip when they need it. Meanwhile, the existing general-purpose lanes will remain free as they are today for all motorists.
This content was originally shared via the Op Lanes Maryland e-mail distribution list on September 21, 2021.