Decongestion medicine

By some measures the Washington D.C. metropolitan area has the worst traffic congestion in the U.S.  And it's probably not going to get better any time soon.  But one project, already fairly advanced in its planning, could certainly help.

This the Purple Line light-rail project intended to run through suburban Maryland from Bethesda to New Carrollton across the northern portion of the metropolitan area.  The line would give riders an east-west commuting alternative to driving the Beltway or the Inter-County Connector, as well as giving them links to the Washington Metro subway system.

Federal funds have been earmarked for the project.  But before they can become available, the State of Maryland needs to come up with its own source of funding.  This is why Maryland governor Martin O'Malley's recent announcement of a funding proposal is so important.  On Monday of this week he said he would submit legislation to raise $3.4 billion over five years from a 2 percent wholesale tax on gasoline.  Besides the Purple Line, the funds would go to development of the Baltimore Red Line, another light-rail line, and the Corridor Cities Transitway, a possible mix of light-rail and dedicated bus lanes to serve in the outer suburban areas developing north of Washington D.C. along the I-270 highway.
 
It's reported that the governor's proposal will be co-sponsored by the heads of the state Senate and House of Delegates.  But it's also expected that Republicans will do all they can to defeat it.