[PGSC Climate Action] Join Me in Speaking Out Against the Beltway Expansion
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Your Voice is Needed: Stop the Flawed 495 Toll Expansion
Next week, our regional officials will vote on a massive VDOT proposal to expand I-495 with private toll lanes from Springfield to Oxon Hill. We must act now to ensure they make the right choice.
You have until noon on Tuesday, October 14th, to make your voice heard!
VDOT is pushing this plan forward without properly studying its consequences. Tell your representatives on the Transportation Planning Board to vote NO for these key reasons:
Incomplete Studies: VDOT has refused to analyze the traffic impact on major local roads, including MD 210, Route 1, and Van Dorn St.
Environmental Damage: The proposed construction would clear woods and permanently damage local streams and wetlands.
Blocks Future Metro: This expansion would likely prevent future Metrorail service across the Wilson Bridge, cutting off a vital transit opportunity.
Our officials have a chance to demand a better approach. Ask them to reject this proposal and force VDOT to work with the community to find smarter, more effective transportation solutions.
Next week, our regional officials will vote on a massive VDOT proposal to expand I-495 with private toll lanes from Springfield to Oxon Hill. We must act now to ensure they make the right choice.
You have until noon on Tuesday, October 14th, to make your voice heard!
VDOT is pushing this plan forward without properly studying its consequences. Tell your representatives on the Transportation Planning Board to vote NO for these key reasons:
Incomplete Studies: VDOT has refused to analyze the traffic impact on major local roads, including MD 210, Route 1, and Van Dorn St.
Environmental Damage: The proposed construction would clear woods and permanently damage local streams and wetlands.
Blocks Future Metro: This expansion would likely prevent future Metrorail service across the Wilson Bridge, cutting off a vital transit opportunity.
Our officials have a chance to demand a better approach. Ask them to reject this proposal and force VDOT to work with the community to find smarter, more effective transportation solutions.
I shared in my testimony, this isn't just about traffic, it's personal. I was diagnosed with environmentally triggered asthma at the age of 37, a condition worsened by vehicle pollution. This expansion would fill our air with more harmful pollutants like PM2.5 and ozone, which are known to aggravate respiratory conditions and pose a risk to all of us.
But our voices can make a difference. The board needs to hear how this project will impact real people.
Will you join me in writing a letter?
Share your own story, whether it's concerns about your family's health, the dangerous traffic on roads like MD-210, or the need for better transit options instead of more lanes. A personal message from you can have a real impact.
Send your testimony to the Transportation Planning Board before October 15th.
Together, we can urge them to vote NO and demand a healthier, more sustainable future for our community.
How can I share my concrens? You have three options.
Send a personal letter to the Transporation Planning Board at TPBcomment@mwcog.org with the subject line, "Item 1 Public Comment Opportunity".
Call and leave a phone message at (202) 962-3312.
Sign the online action form with pre-made form letter, at https://addup.sierraclub.org/campaigns/tell-your-local-elected-officials--oppose-the-i-495-and-i-270-toll-lane-expansion-project?promoid=70131000001LjgmAAC&utm_medium=recruit&utm_source=email&utm_campaign=addup
In Solidarity,
NJ
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Nicole Jackson
Principal, Monarch PSG
Co-Chair, Prince George's County Climate Action Resident Advisory Group
Chair, City of District Heights Sustainability Advisory Committee
Sustainable Energy Workforce Development Advisory Board, Prince George's Community College
Climate Ambassador, ecoAmerica Path to Positive & Blessed Tomorrow
2023/2024 Senior Climate Justice Fellow
T.H.E. E.J. Lab (The Health, Economic, and Environmental Justice Lab)
Institute for Applied Environmental Health
University of Maryland, School of Public Health
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