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This morning, Gigi Godwin and Ilaya Hopkins attended Governor Larry Hogan’s press conference where he announced a ‘transformative plan’ to address traffic congestion in the Capital Region. For MCCC, this follows last night’s Board meeting with MDOT Secretary Pete Rahn where Express Lanes were discussed as a way to relieve congestion in General Purpose Lanes as well as the Express Lanes themselves. It was exciting to see the plan rolled out this morning. RFPs will be issued immediately seeking Public Private Partnerships to widen I-270, I-495 and the BWI Parkway (295). MCCC along with other organizations have called for these improvements for the past several years. Frederick County Chamber President Elizabeth Cromwell and Gaithersburg Germantown Chamber President Marilyn Balcombe were also at the event. Here is the press release from the Governor’s office: http://governor.maryland.gov/2017/09/21/governor-hogan-announces-widening-of-i-270-capital-beltway-i-495-and-baltimore-washington-parkway-md-295/ And articles from Bethesda Beat and the Washington Business Journal: http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Beat/2017/Hogan-Announces-Major-Project-To-Add-Tolls-Lanes-on-I-270-Beltway/ https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2017/09/21/hogan-outlines-9b-plan-to-add-lanes-to-beltway-i.html?ana=e_wash_bn&u=fegN0Hz6WaE86V7JajqEbg0275a73a&t=1506010736&j=78858971 There was also a fair amount of activity on Twitter. Photos from today are also attached. MCCC will continue to work with MDOT to support strategic infrastructure investment as a way to support business growth and success in Metro Maryland and the region. Please let me know if you have any questions.