Governor Larry Hogan's $9 Billion Highway Plan Critiqued

Angie Schmitt writes a scathing critique of the transportation infrastructure investments proposed by the administration of Maryland Governor Larry Hogan.

Here, Schmitt sums up the situation:

A Republican elected in a blue state, Hogan said Maryland just couldn’t afford the Baltimore Red Line, a 14-mile light rail route that would have connected low-income, predominantly black neighborhoods to downtown jobs. When he unilaterally decided to kill the $2.9 billion project in 2015, Hogan called it a “wasteful boondoggle.” The decision prompted a civil rights complaint by the national NAACP on the basis that it was racially discriminatory.

Well — surprise, surprise — it turns out when a multi-billion transportation project that doesn’t benefit black city residents catches his eye, Hogan is fine with opening up the spigots.

Schmitt goes on to critique some of Hogan's talking points in support of the plan, including the cost effectiveness of using tolls and the appeal of the investment in attracting the eye of Amazon, which is famously looking for a location for a second headquarters.

For a news report on Hogan's $9 billion highway widening plan, see an article by Erin Cox. In that article, Hogan is presented making the case that the widened freeways will improve quality of life for Maryland residents.