Nathanson: The problem with Hogan’s signature transportation project

The project is complex, with many moving parts, vast in scope, and costly. I’m referring to the proposal to alleviate traffic congestion in the Washington suburbs by replacing the aging American Legion bridge spanning the Potomac River and adding toll lanes on sections of the Capital Beltway and a major highway corridor through Montgomery County. The Interstate 495/Interstate 270toll lanes project is the signature highway expansion proposed back in 2017 by Gov. Larry Hogan and his former transportation secretary, Pete Rahm. These roadways are to be designed, built and operated by a private contractor over a 50-year period, with a contract valued upwards of $5 billion. Under a public-private partnership or P3 project, the contractor would retain most of the toll revenues and construct the new facilities on its own account.