A federal judge has cleared the way for major construction to begin on the 18.8-mile Intercounty Connector (ICC) in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties in Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C. The controversial route has been on the drawing board since the 1950s.
 
On Nov. 8, U.S. District Court Judge Alexander Williams Jr. ruled that the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) had adequately studied the environmental and public health impacts of the six-lane, $2.4-billion highway. It will link Interstate 270 in Gaithersburg with the I-95/U.S. Route 1 corridor in Laurel, helping to alleviate long-standing congestion on the capital beltway.

Opponents have long argued that the ICC was not a suitable alternative to mass-transit options, citing its potential to actually worsen traffic and cause irreparable harm to the environment.

Intercounty Constructors a design-build joint venture of Granite Construction Co., Watsonville, Calif.; Corman Construction Inc., Annapolis, Md.; and G.A. & F.C. Wagman, Inc., York, Pa., on Nov. 13 received full notice to proceed on the project’s first seven-mile, $478-million section, says SHA spokes­man David Buck.

In October, Intercounty received permission to begin preliminary work on the first section, while Judge Williams reviewed two lawsuits brought by several environmental groups, including the Sierra Club, that claimed federal officials had approved a faulty environmental study. The plaintiffs must decide whether to appeal the ruling in the U.S. Court of Appeals, a move that could potentially include a request to halt construction until the case is resolved.

“If everything stays on schedule and there are no more delays, the first section of the ICC will open in late 2010,” Buck says.  SHA plans four additional design-build contracts for the remaining sections, with the full project scheduled for completion as early as 2011.

“The court’s decision validates the unprecedented scope of the environmental analysis and mitigation undertaken by the state and federal agencies,” says Maryland Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari. “Our commitment to delivering the $370-million environmental mitigation plan will remain firm throughout the process.”