Land use is one of the major issues we are facing in our time today, not only is it an issue of using lands to the advantage of building roads and highways, it is also the cause of global warming, the danger to environmental life and the cost of building the Intercounty Connector, known as the ICC. This issue is what may be called a problem by the residents of the counties of Maryland. The project of building the Intercounty Connector “ICC”, includes building a highway throughout a couple of the counties in Maryland to have a faster and more efficient flow of traffic, which could also endanger the environment, and cause global warming. Also it is going to delay traffic while the project is under construction. There are many reasons why this ICC project caught my attention. First, the use of land. Second, the environmental issues that we are facing today. And finally, the budget was used to build the project. But as always there is an opposing view to every project. Some who were supporting the idea of the ICC gave their lands to the county to build this project, which was not a good plan. Although they do not see the problems of giving away their lands right now, but they are coming. The loss of land will affect people in the future. The ICC project got a final approval from the Gov. of Maryland, and it has won its case against any opposing views. Still the ICC should not have been approved.
In the case of the ICC project, there were many views concerning the environmental side of the issue, as it related to global warming. When mentioning the global warming in the case of building the ICC, an article named “how green could my highway be?” which raised so many questions concerning the environment that it got a supporting view to the use of land. “As green as the Intercounty Connector may end up being, the author of the article says it would be even greener to develop managed toll lanes and bus rapid transit.” But would the residents of the county know that this could cause global warming or harm the environment? Has anyone thought of what would happen to the environment after the project is done? “We’ve gone within six months from denial of global warming to coming together,” says Hal Kassoff, Senior Vice President with Parsons Brinckerhoff, New York City, and a member of GHP (Cho 32). That’s how the county residents and the government have agreed that global warming existed.
The cost of building the Intercounty Connector was one of the major crisis that the State was going through while dealing with other county issues, even though they had stopped the project for money shortage, which did not stop them from canceling from building the project, they actually waited until they were financially stable and proceeded with the project. “Part of the Intercounty Connector project is being delayed indefinitely to save money, and a bond sale to finance some of its construction was postponed this week as officials deal with cost overruns and uncertain federal funding, Maryland officials said.” (Shaver B01). That’s all they had to do, delay the project until the money was there and they went on with their destruction to the environment, and nature. Costing $2.4 billion to build the ICC was not enough disruption to the economy of the State and also not having enough money to work on the project so they had to go and ask organizations for money donations. “SHA awarded the first $478.7 million contract to Intercounty Constructors of Annapolis Junction, Md., which will build 7 mi of the ICC from I-370 to Georgia Avenue (MD 97).” (Staff 27). This is how the project was being built, even if it requires asking for money, they had to get it done!
Using private land is a major issue. It should be stopped; private land should have not been used for the ICC project. They even offered to pay land owners money for their land, and they almost forced them to sell their own lands for the use of building the ICC. “The county Parks Department offered the Casey Foundation about $4 million for their land in 2005, when the real estate market was hotter, but the foundation never responded, he said” (Shaver B01). In this case they offered the Casey Foundation money to sell their land but they denied the offer, and that’s when they thought of another plan, to force take the land. “In court filings, the Maryland attorney general’s office says the Casey property qualifies as necessary for “public use” because buying forested parkland is required under that federally approved plan.” Taking the case to court was the only way they could ask for the land from the owners. The second lawsuit was by an environmental group voting against the U.S. Department of Transportation, arguing the air pollution issue, but that did not affect the projects plan.
On the supporting side of the ICC, the National Capital Park and Planning Commission donated its land for the ICC. “Plans for the proposed Intercounty Connector took a small step forward Thursday when the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission voted to approve the project.” (BC cycle). The Lt. Governor of Maryland, Townsend, approved the ICC plan and agreed on building it and proceeded with the project. “Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend said yesterday that the state should build an Intercounty Connector across the northern Washington suburbs, giving new life to the most divisive highway project in the region.” (Montgomery B01) so the government got to the last steps of the approval of the project, and they were actually happy about ruining the environment and causing global warming.
Coming to the final approval for the State of Maryland to build its ICC project, and that approval happened and the project was approved by the Gov. of Maryland and the federal government. “Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. stood on a patch of roadside grass yesterday to announce that the intercounty connector, a suburban highway more than a half-century in the making, has gained final approval from the federal government and that construction would begin in the fall on the ground beneath his feet.” (Ginsberg and Mosk A01). Although there was the remaining question of what happened to all those cases, the government have been battling in court and out, about the use of land and environmental issues, well as they say, they took care of all of these issues and everything worked just fine, though that’s what they had to answer back: “The approval means that Maryland has satisfied all environmental, economic and community requirements and that it can build the highway across Montgomery and Prince George's counties. State officials plan to finish the project by 2010.” (Ginsberg and Mosk A01). But there was one more lawsuit against the project of the ICC that government still have not taken care of and they tend to do so but they don’t know when they will take care of it, but that did not stop them from building the ICC and not letting all the approvals go to waste. “The only remaining obstacle is a potential lawsuit by project opponents, who said they were unsure whether they would pursue legal action. State officials expressed confidence that the highway will be built -- and soon.” (Ginsberg and Mosk A01). Like I have mentioned before, nothing have stopped them from going forward in building the Intercounty Connector.
The supporting view for this project would be, the efficiency, and lessen of traffic in the main roads that is going to happen when the project is done. There will be less cars on the main roads, and more cars on the highway the ICC getting to their destinations without being stopped throughout the county over stop lights.
After all that work and all the lawsuits they have been through, the government got what they have been aiming for, which is building the ICC. As of right now the project is going under construction, and will be finished in the year of 2012, but what they are not aware of is the aftermath of project, and what it is going to cause the State, and what they issues we are going to face. The ICC should not have been approved.

Works Cited

Cho, Aileen . "Engineering News-Record." February 12, 2007. 25 Jan 2010 .

"Environmental Programs." ICC. 25 Jan 2010 .

Ginsberg, Mosk, Steven, Matthew. " Intercounty Connector Gets Final Approval; After More Than 50 Years, Work on Montgomery-Pr. George's Link to Start in Fall." The Washington Post. 31 May , 2006 . 26 Jan 2010 .

Montgomery, Lori. "Townsend Backs Connector Road; Support Hinges on Saving Wetlands." The Washington Post. 26 March , 2002 . 25 Jan 2010 .

Shaver, Katherine . "Opponents Want Legislature to Halt Construction." washingtonpost.com. March 18, 2008 . LexisNexis. 25 Jan 2010

Staff, "MARYLAND TOP PROJECTS." Mid-Atlantic Construction. June 1, 2008. 26 Jan 2010 .

State and Regional, "Commission approves Intercounty Connector." The Associated Press. 03 February, 2005. 25 Jan 2010 .