"None of the ICC alternatives will have a substantial impact on the levels of service experienced by motorists on the Capital Beltway, I-270, or I-95 within the Study Area."
- Maryland State Highway Administration and Federal Highway Administration in Draft Environmental Impact Statement on the ICC, 1997

"EPA finds potential adverse impacts to the naturally reproducing brown trout stream in the Paint Branch watershed unacceptable . . .and believes that these impacts would likely eliminate the trout resource from the watershed. Elimination of the trout would remove the existing use of the stream, a violation of EPA's antidegradation policy."
- Environmental Protection Agency in letter to Federal Highway Administration, Aug. 1, 1997

"Even with substantial mitigation, the Master Plan Alignment's direct and indirect impacts on the Paint Branch and Northwest Branch parks still would be substantial."
- Army Corps of Engineers in briefing to Governor's Transportation Solutions Group, Dec. 11, 1998

"End-on construction would not effectively mitigate the impacts of the Master Plan Alignment."
- Environmental Protection Agency, Sept. 8, 1997

"We've looked at the Inter-County Connector - and seen that it would be a disaster. When I was first elected Governor, I supported it. But the more I got into the analysis of it, I said it made no sense. The environmental impact cannot be mitigated; it will be very serious. It's just not cost-effective. You are talking about at least a billion and a half dollars, and the best analysis I've seen shows it will reduce about 6 minutes for people coming from central Montgomery County and going to BWI Airport."
- Former Governor Parris Glendening in interview on county cable channel, August 2002

"That stretch is where the major environmental problems were. The state did the right thing."
- County Executive Douglas M. Duncan, praising the state's action, which killed the stretch of the master plan route east of Georgia Avenue and west of U.S. Route 29, The Washington Post, Sept. 10, 1997, p. A1