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Senate Minority Leader Hershey comments on Maryland Consolidated Transportation Plan

September 4th, 2024 by WCBC Radio

Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey shared the following comments following the Maryland Department of Transportation’s release of the Consolidated Transportation Plan “Once again, it’s disappointing to see that the Governor and Department of Transportation can’t figure out how to maintain and operate the state’s transportation system without having to make severe cuts to the construction and maintenance of the state’s roads and highways network. Did they not get the message the Democrat-led General Assembly just hiked the vehicle registration fees for all Maryland motorists? Instead of maintaining our roads, the Governor sets forth priorities to advance EV charging infrastructure, move forward with carbon reduction projects, and add sidewalks along Rt. 50, then touts development spending on the still-to-be-finalized FBI Headquarters and the transportation-trust-fund-siphoning Red Line. If this state is truly in a transportation funding crisis, then these misguided priorities can all be pushed off to another day. In times of significant budgetary challenges, the priorities need to focus on the mode of transportation that makes the greatest impact to our economy and moves the vast percentage of Marylanders throughout the state…our network of roads and highways.”