On their annual transportation budget tour, state officials stopped by Charles County where they were grilled by local and state officials on the intense budget cuts recently announced to the Southern Maryland Rapid Transit project.
Commissioner President Reuben B. Collins II (D) wasted no time after introductions at the Sept. 24 meeting with Maryland Department of Transportation addressing the elephant in the room, saying, “We can’t accept the proposed cuts to SMRT.”
Collins said that the rapid transit project remains Charles County’s highest transportation priority and that $10 million in federal earmarks have been designated, with another $5 million possible in the next appropriations bill.
“Thanks to our state delegation … MDOT is required to match those federal funds,” Collins said. “This is not just a Charles County project, it’s a regional project.”
As proposed, the Washington, D.C., Metro light rail would be extended from Branch Avenue to White Plains with multiple stops along the way.
Collins previously said the available budget for the transit project was reduced by the state from its previous funded amount of $30 million to $2.1 million.
Charles County is one of the fastest growing regions in the state with one of the worst commutes, Collins told state transportation officials.
“Delaying the project in any significant way is unacceptable to the people and citizens of Charles County,” Collins said. “We continue to do everything in our power to be good stewards, to show our absolute appreciation for the state.”
Paul Wiedefeld, the secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation, said that he heard Collins “loud and clear.”
“The [Maryland Department of Transportation] continues to face significant budgetary challenges because of the state’s slow economic growth, the rising cost of labor and materials and revenues coming in lower than projections,” Wiedefeld said.
Wiedefeld said that the Consolidated Transportation Program — which outlines project budgets from fiscal year 2025 to 2030 — is balanced and totals $18.9 billion. He furthered that there had to be tough decisions due to budget constraints to “live within our means.”
Sen. Arthur Ellis (D-Charles) said that Charles County has “two very miserable roads” where nearly 80% of the county’s workers go north toward Washington, D.C.
“We are clogged up,” Ellis said. “This is a priority for our tax-paying citizens to have solutions.”
“This is not a joke, this is not something bureaucrats can cut because they feel like we don’t have the money … the money is there,” Ellis said. “This is not something to play with, and don’t play with our emotions. … If that’s the only thing I do next session, to focus on [and] make sure this project moves forward, that’s the only thing I’ll do in Annapolis.”
Del. Debra Davis (D-Charles) called the transit project “a lifeline for this region.”
“Equity … oh my goodness. We are the brownest part of the state with no transportation solutions,” Davis said. “We also happen to be the wealthiest majority Black county in the nation. Don’t cut us off.”
Davis brought up the fact that once the project is actually approved, it would take at least 20 years to construct.
“Delay is not acceptable,” she said.
Gary Hodge, a former Charles County commissioner who has been committed to the transit project for decades, said, “We can’t keep promising the trains are going to roll in if we keep kicking the can down the road.”
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