Critics of Maryland’s plan to widen Interstate 270 and a part of the Capital Beltway with toll lanes cited potential flaws within the state’s evaluation of whether or not the brand new lanes would relieve site visitors congestion, saying the federal authorities ought to order an impartial overview.
Maryland
Toll lane critics cite possible flaws in Maryland traffic analysis
![Toll lane critics cite possible flaws in Maryland traffic analysis Toll lane critics cite possible flaws in Maryland traffic analysis](https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/FUKUZKCBUII6RMW4WCSAHZDSBI.jpg&w=1440)
The site visitors modeling was achieved as a part of a federally required “closing environmental impression assertion” (FEIS) that the state launched final month concerning Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s plan to alleviate site visitors congestion. State officers have mentioned the freeway widening additionally would unencumber extra room within the common lanes, however critics have mentioned it will entice further site visitors and exacerbate local weather change.
Within the letter, Ben Ross, chair of the Maryland Transit Alternatives Coalition, mentioned the Maryland Division of Transportation declined to clarify the totally different findings or adjustments in its modeling. The “anomalies,” Ross wrote, “create severe doubt whether or not the brand new site visitors forecasts might have been generated by correcting earlier errors and counsel potential falsification of mannequin outputs.”
Challenge spokesman Terry Owens mentioned the site visitors evaluation was reviewed by consultants and “adopted accepted skilled practices” authorized by the Federal Freeway Administration.
The newest regional site visitors mannequin used within the evaluation “follows trade requirements and has been completely reviewed and validated,” Owens wrote. MDOT, he mentioned, “has offered an unlimited quantity of top of the range information supporting the FEIS.” The state’s efforts, Owens wrote, “far exceed the [federal] necessities.”
In releasing the FEIS, MDOT mentioned it had “modified evaluation methodologies” and “carried out new evaluation” primarily based on public feedback it had obtained. The state didn’t elaborate.
Ross, a Bethesda resident who’s retired from reviewing pc fashions for groundwater move, mentioned he discovered the issues “buried in a blizzard of numbers” in an appendix of the state’s FEIS launched final month.
“The numbers merely don’t appear to be what a pc mannequin would produce,” Ross mentioned in an interview.
In a single instance, Ross mentioned, the state’s newest evaluation discovered “drastically” improved drive occasions on the Beltway’s inside loop in the course of the night rush between Connecticut Avenue and Interstate 95 in contrast with its earlier evaluation. Nonetheless, he mentioned, the calculations didn’t seem to think about, as site visitors fashions sometimes would, that extra motorists would change to the sooner Beltway from different roads to save lots of time, which might add site visitors and gradual speeds.
The critics’ accusations come because the Federal Freeway Administration considers the challenge’s FEIS for approval. Environmental approval is required to obtain federal funding and sometimes is a goal of federal lawsuits searching for to dam main infrastructure initiatives. Questions over Maryland’s ridership projections for the Purple Line, which is greater than 4 years not on time and $1.46 billion over price range, had been on the coronary heart of a authorized problem that delayed the light-rail line development by virtually a 12 months.
MDOT wants the federal environmental approval earlier than it may safe a 50-year contract price billions for a personal consortium led by Australian toll highway operator Transurban to construct the lanes. Challenge supporters say Hogan (R), who’s term-limited, is raring to safe the contract earlier than he leaves workplace in January, when a brand new governor might change the plan, gradual it down or cease it.
MDOT’s first contract on the challenge is also being challenged in court docket, the place a shedding bidder has alleged that the state improperly awarded a “predevelopment settlement” to the Transurban staff to design the lanes and negotiate the longer-term contract to construct and function them.
Beneath MDOT’s plan, the state would add two toll lanes in every path to the Beltway between the Virginia facet of a brand new and expanded American Legion Bridge and the exit for Outdated Georgetown Highway in Bethesda. From there, the lanes would lengthen up I-270 to Frederick, with the decrease half to I-370 being constructed first.
The common lanes could be rebuilt and stay free. One of many toll lanes on decrease I-270 would come from a transformed carpool lane.
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Maryland
University of Maryland reverses decision to allow anti-Israel protest on October 7
The University of Maryland on Sunday reversed its decision to allow an anti-Israel protest on the first anniversary of the October 7 Massacre, following backlash from local Jewish groups.
UMD Students for Justice in Palestine and UMD Jewish Voice for Peace had been set to hold their October 7 vigil for Gazans killed in the Israel-Hamas War at the campus’s Mckeldin Mall, but the University System of Maryland (USM) said in a statement that on the day of the Hamas-led pogrom it would limit campus events requiring permits or approval to those supporting “a university-sponsored Day of Dialogue.”
“From the beginning of the war, we have come together as a University System to urge that we use this moment to encourage conversation, compassion, and civility; to engage with one another across our differences and draw on our shared humanity and our shared values to bridge what divides us,” said USM. “These dialogues aren’t new. Many of our universities have been hosting this kind of programming for several months. Reserving Oct. 7 gives us a chance to continue these urgent conversations and to mark this solemn anniversary in a way that gives students—all students—the time and space to share and to be heard.”
USM said that its intent was not to infringe of the free expression and speech of students, but to be sensitive to the needs of students as October 7 was a “day of enormous suffering and grief for many in our campus communities.”
UMD Jewish Student Union, Maryland Hillel, Terps for Israel, and Israeli American Council Mishelanu at Maryland welcomed the USM decision and thanked UMD leadership in a joint social media statement on Sunday.
“October 7, the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, is a day of mourning for the Jewish and Israeli community,” said the UMD JSU. “We are relieved that SJP will no longer to be able to appropriate the suffering of our family and friends to fit their false and dangerous narrative.”
The Jewish groups said that it was distraught that the decision to only hold university-sponsored event had to be made at all, and wished to used the campus space to “grieve together as a community” to promote unity at the university. The unideal situation was necessary, according to the Jewish groups, to ensure the physical and psychological safety of students on the day of mourning.
UMD JVP and SJP attacked the decision to cancel the event, claiming that the vigil for Palestinians killed since the October 7 Massacre was attacked without familiarity of the content. The anti-Israel groups said that the discourse was “the continuation inherently racist, Islamophobic, and dehumanizing rhetoric surrounding Palestinians.” JVP and SJP said that the actions against their event were an attempt to paint “Muslim, Arab, and anti-Zionist Jewish students as barbaric.”
The anti-Israel groups asserted that their vigil for Palestinians who died in the war was no threat to the campus’s Jewish community, but conflation of Zionism and Judaism did threaten UMD and the Jewish community.
“To claim that Palestinians cannot hold a day of remembrance in mourning one year of genocide, or lay claim to that date is an insult to every life lost in the Zionist entity’s genocidal campaign,” UMD SJP and JVP said on Instagram on Sunday. “The disproportionate scale of suffering experienced by the Palestinians over the past year necessitates their remembrance and our solidarity on this day. The suffering of all innocents killed must not be monopolized and necessitates a fair and just representation.”
SJP and JVP demanded the right to organize and exercise their right to free speech, accusing Zionists of attempting to stifle Palestinian voices.
The organizations indicated on their Sunday Instagram post that they still planned to hold their all-day event at Mckeldin Mall, and on Monday a link to register still active and listing the campus building as the rally location.
UMD Jewish groups said that they would be holding their own event to memorialize the victims of the October 7 pogrom at the Maryland Hillel.
Maryland
Sunshine for your Labor Day in Maryland
![Sunshine for your Labor Day in Maryland Sunshine for your Labor Day in Maryland](https://assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2024/09/02/44f70b16-36c5-418b-a083-913b44ccccef/thumbnail/1200x630/35894c49deb7bc01bace1597e72e5c6f/354a4da6cd4b544ff5da5921dfff7e33.jpg?v=25685eaa472b1a5dbb5bd46ae506d232)
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Maryland
Michigan State Has Several Things to Fix Before Heading to Maryland
![Michigan State Has Several Things to Fix Before Heading to Maryland Michigan State Has Several Things to Fix Before Heading to Maryland](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4622,h_2599,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/spartan_nation/01j6q3dyp4hhn9f949m6.jpg)
Michigan State’s football team emerged with a 16-10 win against Florida Atlantic, but it was far from a convincing victory. The Spartans struggled throughout the game, exhibiting a range of issues that need immediate attention if they hope to find more consistent success moving forward.
With less than a week to prepare for its next opponent, Michigan State has a critical opportunity to address these shortcomings and refine its game plan.
The win over FAU exposed several areas of concern for Michigan State, particularly on offense. The Spartans were plagued by poor execution and missed opportunities, with several drives stalling due to penalties and miscues. The offensive line, in particular, struggled to establish a rhythm, which led to limited success in both the running and passing games.
Quarterback play from Aidan Chiles was inconsistent, with errant throws and a lack of cohesion with the receiving corps contributing to the team’s inability to sustain drives and put the game away early.
Defensively, Michigan State managed to hold FAU to just 10 points, but there were still some worrying signs. Despite the Spartans having multiple interceptions and a safety, they gave up several big plays, revealing potential vulnerabilities in the secondary and raising concerns about the unit’s ability to maintain discipline and focus throughout the game. Missed tackles and lapses in coverage could prove costly against more formidable opponents, making it imperative for the coaching staff to address these issues in the coming week.
Special teams were another area where Michigan State faltered. On multiple occasions, the Spartans gave up more punt return yards than they should have because of missed tackles.
With less than a week before its next game, Michigan State has a valuable window to regroup and make the necessary adjustments. The coaching staff will need to focus on tightening up execution across all phases of the game — offense, defense and special teams. This includes refining the game plan, improving communication and instilling a greater sense of urgency and discipline among the players.
The Spartans cannot afford to let the issues that plagued them against FAU carry over into their matchup against Maryland. If they hope to be competitive as the season progresses, the team must use this time to correct course and demonstrate growth in all facets of its game.
Don’t forget to follow the official Spartan Nation Page on Facebook Spartan Nation WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be a part of our vibrant community group Go Green Go White as well WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.
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