A new coalition is advocating for dollars for state transportation projects, including the planned 16-mile Purple Line light rail that would connect Bethesda with New Carrollton, The Washington Post reports.
Get Maryland Moving, a coalition of groups, including the Montgomery County and Bethesda-Chevy Chase chambers of commerce, Purple Line Now, Action Committee for Transit, and the League of Women Voters of Maryland, is pushing for state legislators to make new revenue for transportation projects a top priority this legislative session, according to the group’s website.
Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D-Dist. 27) of Chesapeake Beach has proposed a 3-cent gas tax that would raise about $300 million for transportation projects, Patch reported.
But without a tax increase to fund the Purple Line, the project—along with Baltimore’s Red Line and the Corridor Cities Transitway through the Interstate 270 corridor—could be put on hold, Maryland transportation officials have said. Montgomery County officials and transportation advocates have argued that deferring the funds in the state's transportation funding plan could stall the projects and make them less competitive for federal dollars.
Get Maryland Moving is encouraging Maryland residents to contact their legislators and sign a petition supporting transportation funding. The petition reads:
“No funding solution this year means that critical capital projects such as the Purple Line, Red Line, and MARC upgrades may be delayed for years or decades. We call on our leaders to take a different path: to invest in our future by securing funding for critical transit projects, road maintenance, and other investments to support smart, sustainable growth for Maryland.”
State by State Combined State and Local Gas Tax Rate Comparison July 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012 Illinois 1 52.50¢ New York 2 47.46¢ Connecticut 3 46.31¢ California 4 45.26¢ Hawaii 5 40.38¢ Michigan 6 37.75¢ North Carolina 7 37.60¢ Washington 8 36.20¢ Indiana 9 34.26¢ Wisconsin 10 33.74¢ Florida 11 33.63¢ Nevada 12 33.40¢ West Virginia 13 33.00¢ Oregon 14T 33.00¢ Rhode Island 14T 32.13¢ Maine 16 31.70¢ Pennsylvania 17 31.47¢ Georgia 18 29.90¢ Kentucky 19 28.60¢ Minnesota 20 28.00¢ Ohio 21 27.75¢ Montana 22 27.10¢ Nebraska 23 26.50¢ Vermont 24 26.00¢ Idaho 25 25.35¢ Virginia 26 25.03¢ Kansas 27 24.51¢ Utah 28 24.00¢ South Dakota 29 23.50¢ Dist. of Columbia 30T 23.50¢ Maryland 30T 23.50¢ Massachusetts 30T 23.03¢ North Dakota 33 23.00¢ Delaware 34 22.01¢ Colorado 35 22.00¢ Iowa 36 21.80¢ Arkansas 37 21.40¢ Mississippi 38T 21.40¢ Tennessee 38T 20.46¢ Alabama 40 20.13¢ Louisiana 41 20.03¢ Texas 42 19.63¢ New Hampshire 43 19.00¢ Arizona 44 18.88¢ New Mexico 45 17.30¢ Missouri 46 17.00¢ Oklahoma 47 16.75¢ South Carolina 48 14.50¢ New Jersey 49 14.00¢ Wyoming 50 8.00¢ Alaska 51