Road Repairs—Your Gas-Tax Dollars at Work!

2 comments

July 30, 7:25 AM

by Bernie Thomas, Baltimore News and Traffic Examiner

 

 

I’m sure those of you in Montgomery County are interested in this Press Release from SHA.

“Beginning next Monday, August 4, the Maryland Department of Transportation's State Highway Administration (SHA) will begin a $2 million rehabilitation project on the bridge from westbound Clara Barton Parkway to southbound I-495 (Capital Beltway). To protect motorists and workers, the bridge will be closed to all traffic beginning on or about August 4 through early fall, weather permitting. A detour will be in effect.”

What I want to know is why they feel the need to tell us how much they’re spending. Maybe they think we’ll smile, sitting in the back up, when we see that 2 Mill of our tax dollars is going into something other than a politicians pocket, or some social program we didn’t want to begin with. What’s that you say? Road repairs come from the gasoline tax? This is true, but with folks traveling less, they’re buying less gas. Lower gas purchases mean lower tax revenues from gas sales. So where you think they’re going to get the money? Why, O’Malley’s going to raise gas taxes, of course.

Let’s see ... he doubled the cigarette tax to $2 a pack (a big reason why I quit smoking), raised the sales tax to 6%, hiked the vehicle titling tax to 6%, and wants to change the state income tax from a flat rate of 4.75 percent to a graduated system up to $500,000. That means, unless you’re on welfare, you’re going to pay more. This is why I voted for Ehrlich.

Here’s the detour info:

“Westbound Clara Barton Parkway to the next exit at the Naval Surface Warfare Center (Forrestal Road). Traffic will make two left turns (crossing over the Clara Barton Parkway), exit back onto eastbound Clara Barton Parkway, and use the left exit to southbound I-495. In order to minimize delays, detoured ramp traffic will be permitted to make a left turn without stopping at Forrestal Road. This will be accomplished by use of a temporary stop sign along northbound Forrestal Road prior to the detoured ramp.”

I suppose you can just follow the signs.

 And while I’m at it, this came in yesterday.

"(July 29, 2008) - On Friday morning, August 1, the Maryland Department of Transportation's State Highway Administration (SHA) will open the new flyover ramp from southbound I-95/I-495 (Capital Beltway) to southbound MD 5. Motorists are urged to be aware of new traffic patterns during the traffic switch. The flyover ramp is the cornerstone of the $52 million Branch Avenue Interchange reconstruction project. Weather permitting, the ramp will be open by 5 a.m. SHA has installed VMS and static signs to assist drivers with the new traffic pattern."
 

You might consider buying a nice home theater system. Odds are good you won’t be doing a lot of disposable driving for much longer.

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