As reported by the Montgomery County Council, Montgomery County will hold a “Maryland Transportation Summit” on Wednesday, December 12 in Annapolis.  The summit will focus on the need for investment in transportation projects statewide.

Warren Deschenaux and Jonathan Martin of the Office of Policy Analysis in the Maryland General Assembly’s Department of Legislative Services will speak at the Summit and several county officials, including County Executives Isiah Leggett of Montgomery, Ken Ulman of Howard, Rushern Baker of Prince George’s and President Candice Quinn Kelly of the Charles County Commission will attend.  As described,

“The goal of the summit is to establish what will happen if the investment in transportation is not made in our state and to clearly make the link between investment in transportation and creation of jobs,” said Councilmember Leventhal, who has been a strong proponent of building the Purple Line, a proposed 16-mile, east-west, light rail that will operate between Bethesda in Montgomery County and New Carrollton in Prince George’s County. It would connect to four branches of the Metro system.

The summit will emphasize that by mid-2013 the State must submit finalized financial plans showing how it intends to pay for projects such as the Red Line extension of the Baltimore Metrorail system and the Purple Line in order to be eligible for federal funding. Absent a revenue increase or federal aid, it is unlikely that the transit lines can be constructed. Preliminary funding for those projects runs out in 2014.