Sun coverage: The Intercounty Connector

Foes of ICC file appeal in U.S. court

Opponents of the Intercounty Connector have appealed a federal judge's decision to allow construction of the highway.

Michael Dresser: ICC opponents can keep project honest

The toothpaste is out of the tube. The fat lady has not only sung; she's cooling down with a post-operatic beer. The Rubicon has been crossed - by a six-lane toll bridge.

Judge removes final ICC roadblock

A federal judge gave Maryland the go-ahead yesterday to begin construction of a long-debated highway in the Washington suburbs, flatly rejecting environmentalists' challenges to the $2.4 billion project.

Road yields route to past

Someday soon, this rock-strewn path under a canopy of trees in suburban Washington will likely be a major highway. The rocks and many of the trees are expected to be cleared. In their place would run the Intercounty Connector, a road that has been in the works for nearly a half-century.

Md. limits work on ICC as suit is heard

State highway officials have agreed to limit construction on the disputed Intercounty Connector highway through the Washington suburbs while a federal court is hearing a lawsuit challenging the $2.4 billion project, according to a court document released yesterday.

Environmentalists argue in court against highway

Environmental groups argued yesterday that federal and state planners did not properly study the impact a new 18-mile highway would have on the environment and on the health of residents living nearby.

Michael Dresser: 'DWT' getting adults' attention

Sorry, kids. The sleeping Grownup Majority is awake - and ready to clamp down.

Groups seek to halt work on ICC

Environmentalists called yesterday for the federal government to stop work on a disputed six-lane toll road across Montgomery and Prince George's counties, contending that there is new evidence that children and other residents living along the route could be harmed by pollutants from the traffic.

Michael Dresser: Safety should be paramount in ICC

There are compelling reasons to build the Intercounty Connector and compelling reasons not to build it. I'm staying neutral on that issue. But let's assume the courts uphold the decision to complete the 18.8-mile toll road through the Washington suburbs.

Planned ICC tolls too high, foes say

A proposed east-west highway through the Washington suburbs would cost up to $1,500 a year in tolls for a daily rush-hour commuter, making the road too costly for many middle-income Marylanders to use, opponents of the project said yesterday.

High-tech tolls envisioned for ICC

Imagine driving from Washington to Delaware without stopping. No fishing through pockets or purses for that last quarter to make $2 for the tunnel. No backup at Exit 109, listening to horns blaring as you almost lose your life cutting off that 18-wheeler in the E-ZPass lane.

Sun Q&A

Michael Dresser on the chosen ICC route

William Billiet, Baltimore: I have heard much criticism saying the ICC will not alleviate traffic. I was wondering what the basis for this argument is, if any?

ICC path to follow southern route plan

The Inter-County Connector will be built along a southerly route that state and local officials have backed for decades, Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. announced yesterday, a decision that minimizes the number of homes that will be razed but which federal officials have warned would cause greater environmental disruption than a northern path.

ICC financing plan runs into Assembly snag

The Ehrlich administration's plan for financing construction of the Intercounty Connector highway is in trouble in the General Assembly, with leading legislators questioning its heavy reliance on borrowing.

Nature continues as hurdle for ICC

SILVER SPRING - The Good Hope tributary is a tiny stream through the woods of Montgomery County - no more than a few feet wide. In many spots, a reasonably healthy adult could jump over it with little effort.

EPA has objection to ICC route plan

Federal regulators are objecting to one of two proposed routes for a highway that Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. has called his No. 1 transportation priority, finding that the state's efforts to lessen the road's impact fall short of what is needed to protect the environment.

Anne Arundel keeps quiet about its opinions on ICC

Q: What input has the State Highway Administration received from Anne Arundel County regarding the proposed Intercounty Connector?

Paving the way for ICC

Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. promised yesterday that the state would use the most advanced technology to build the proposed Intercounty Connector, insisting that the highway would cause minimal environmental damage while relieving traffic congestion and improving safety.

Coalition releases anti-ICC report

Gearing up for a fight over Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s top transportation priority, a coalition of environmental groups said a new highway is the worst of six alternatives for relieving traffic congestion in the Washington suburbs, according to a report it released yesterday.

Backers, foes clash over plan for road

GREENBELT -- Advocates and opponents of a proposed highway linking Montgomery and Prince George's counties clashed last night at the first of four hearings on the project, with supporters praising it as a job-creating antidote to gridlock and foes condemning it as a money-wasting contributor to sprawl.

State sees less harm in latest ICC study

The Ehrlich administration has concluded that Maryland can build a proposed highway in the Washington suburbs with far less environmental damage than a similar study showed under former Gov. Parris N. Glendening.

State wants more funding for ICC project

The Ehrlich administration told lawmakers yesterday that it wants to use more future federal highway funds than allowed under current law to build a proposed east-west highway in the Washington suburbs.

Study sees ICC as boon to area

A University of Maryland study predicts that building an east-west highway between Montgomery and Prince George's counties will bring billions of dollars of benefits to users of the road over a 20-year period while creating thousands of new jobs.

Disputed connector road finds momentum

ROCKVILLE - The Ehrlich administration is pushing ahead with plans to build an 18-mile highway through the forests and across the streams of Montgomery County - a road that has been embraced by politicians and commuters but was twice rejected by the Environmental Protection Agency.