Montgomery County Councilmember Roger Berliner’s Statement on BRAC Funding

Release ID: 11-092
Release Date: 4/18/2011
Contact: 240-777-7828
From: Office of Roger Berliner

Thanks Members of Congress for Helping Obtain Funding For Needed Transportation Improvements in National Naval Medical Center Area of Bethesda

ROCKVILLE, Md., April 18, 2011—Montgomery County Vice President Roger Berliner (who represents District 1 that includes Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Potomac) today saluted U.S. Senators Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin and Congressman Chris Van Hollen for their efforts to obtain $300 million in the Continuing Resolution that passed last week to ease BRAC (Defense Base Realignment and Closure)-related congestion around the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda and near other communities with BRAC-impacted facilities.

The complete text of Council Vice President Berliner’s statement:

Today we are here in large measure to pay tribute to Team Maryland—Congressman Van Hollen and Senators Mikulski and Cardin—for their tenacious and hard fought victory to secure critically needed federal funds to mitigate the impact of expanding a major federal facility.

While our Congressional delegation recognized early on that it truly is the responsibility of the Department of Defense to address the traffic impacts of the new National Naval Medical Center that recognition was not necessarily shared by either the Defense Department or Congress as a whole. Through their sheer perseverance, they secured the federal funds we need to make major transit and road improvements to offset the impact of twice as many visitors going to this critical facility.

Everyone knows that this particular portion of our community is already in gridlock. Doubling the number of trips in an area already choking on traffic could be a potential nightmare. These federal dollars will ease our communities concerns and allow us to welcome our wounded warriors and their families without reservation.

Thank you Team Maryland.