Local officials praised a recent report calling on the federal government to pay more for BRAC-related transportation improvements, and said it was a reaffirmation that Maryland and Anne Arundel County have paid more than their fair share as new federal workers move into Fort Meade this year.
The report by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) released this week said the federal government should pay for transportation upgrades around its expanding facilities much in the same way that private developers are asked to contribute to improvements near new real estate projects. The report also recommended that Congress have a special allocation to pay for short-term improvements in the most adversely affected communities, including the area around Fort Meade.
With millions of dollars in transportation upgrades needed to accommodate thousands of new workers heading into the army installation this year, local officials said the federal government has contributed far too little.
“I think [the study] just reaffirms the position we’ve had all along, that this is a tremendous challenge being posed to the locals and the state and that we’d greatly appreciate some help from the federal government as we address that challenge,” said Robert Leib, the regional BRAC coordinator for Anne Arundel County. “It’s not news to us, but it does reaffirm to us that the federal government has left the civilian localities a little high and dry.”
The NAS report was part of a wider examination of funding for upgrades near 18 expanding federal facilities as part of base realignment activities, including Fort Meade, the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, the National Navy Medical Center in Bethesda and Fort Belvoir in Virginia. In nearly all cases, the NAS concluded that federal funding to accommodate the growth in workers was lacking.
Around Fort Meade, county and state officials have been scrambling to find ways to bolster road networks to accommodate new traffic. The county has partnered with a private developer to expand Route 175 from the Baltimore-Washington Parkway to Rockenbach Road, but other improvements further east near the base are only partially funded. Meanwhile, workers from the Defense Information Systems Agency began moving in last month, and will total more than 4,000 by the end of the summer. Thousands of other workers from the Defense Media Activity and the Co-Location of the Defense/Military Adjudication Activities will also come this year.
Fort Meade is also undergoing other growth from the National Security Agency, U.S. Cyber Command and the more than 80 other tenants on base. More than 40,000 people currently work at Fort Meade, and another 22,000 could be added by 2015.
The Office of Economic Adjustment reported that six intersection improvements near Fort Meade are considered “critical and immediate needs.” The estimated cost of those improvements is $671 million, with only $48 million currently funded. In addition, there are $786 million in funds for highway improvements that have not been secured. The state of Maryland has contributed about $135 million for all of Maryland's BRAC projects, including Aberdeen Proving Ground and the National Navy Medical Center, though Anne Arundel County officials have been critical of the state for not doing more to protect transportation funds.
“Any help we can get from the federal government just leverages what our own resources can do,” Leib said. “I believe that even though it’s late, it’s still welcome.”
U.S. Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD), whose district includes Fort Meade and Aberdeen Proving Ground, said he would favor a one-time appropriation to fund BRAC improvements, and would push for the Pentagon to pay a fee for improvements on highly traveled roads.
"BRAC is a tremendous opportunity for Maryland as long as we protect the great quality of life that our existing residents enjoy," Ruppersberger said. "Our cash-strapped state has already made major investments. The Pentagon should contribute to this mutually beneficial effort as well."
The report by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) released this week said the federal government should pay for transportation upgrades around its expanding facilities much in the same way that private developers are asked to contribute to improvements near new real estate projects. The report also recommended that Congress have a special allocation to pay for short-term improvements in the most adversely affected communities, including the area around Fort Meade.
With millions of dollars in transportation upgrades needed to accommodate thousands of new workers heading into the army installation this year, local officials said the federal government has contributed far too little.
“I think [the study] just reaffirms the position we’ve had all along, that this is a tremendous challenge being posed to the locals and the state and that we’d greatly appreciate some help from the federal government as we address that challenge,” said Robert Leib, the regional BRAC coordinator for Anne Arundel County. “It’s not news to us, but it does reaffirm to us that the federal government has left the civilian localities a little high and dry.”
The NAS report was part of a wider examination of funding for upgrades near 18 expanding federal facilities as part of base realignment activities, including Fort Meade, the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, the National Navy Medical Center in Bethesda and Fort Belvoir in Virginia. In nearly all cases, the NAS concluded that federal funding to accommodate the growth in workers was lacking.
Around Fort Meade, county and state officials have been scrambling to find ways to bolster road networks to accommodate new traffic. The county has partnered with a private developer to expand Route 175 from the Baltimore-Washington Parkway to Rockenbach Road, but other improvements further east near the base are only partially funded. Meanwhile, workers from the Defense Information Systems Agency began moving in last month, and will total more than 4,000 by the end of the summer. Thousands of other workers from the Defense Media Activity and the Co-Location of the Defense/Military Adjudication Activities will also come this year.
Fort Meade is also undergoing other growth from the National Security Agency, U.S. Cyber Command and the more than 80 other tenants on base. More than 40,000 people currently work at Fort Meade, and another 22,000 could be added by 2015.
The Office of Economic Adjustment reported that six intersection improvements near Fort Meade are considered “critical and immediate needs.” The estimated cost of those improvements is $671 million, with only $48 million currently funded. In addition, there are $786 million in funds for highway improvements that have not been secured. The state of Maryland has contributed about $135 million for all of Maryland's BRAC projects, including Aberdeen Proving Ground and the National Navy Medical Center, though Anne Arundel County officials have been critical of the state for not doing more to protect transportation funds.
“Any help we can get from the federal government just leverages what our own resources can do,” Leib said. “I believe that even though it’s late, it’s still welcome.”
U.S. Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD), whose district includes Fort Meade and Aberdeen Proving Ground, said he would favor a one-time appropriation to fund BRAC improvements, and would push for the Pentagon to pay a fee for improvements on highly traveled roads.
"BRAC is a tremendous opportunity for Maryland as long as we protect the great quality of life that our existing residents enjoy," Ruppersberger said. "Our cash-strapped state has already made major investments. The Pentagon should contribute to this mutually beneficial effort as well."
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