Senate Candidate Larry Hogan Talks About Rt. 15 Widening Project In Visit To Frederick

It’s Frederick County top transportation priority.Larry Hogan, GOP US Senate Candidate.Frederick, Md (KM) When Maryland Department of Transportation officials visit Frederick on October 16th, local elected officials are expected to press them  for funding to widen US Route 15. It’s the number-one transportation project in Frederick County, , and it had been part of the state’s Consolidated Transportation Plan.Currently, there is funding for planning and engineering, but not in future years for construction.During a visit last weekend to Frederick for the “In the Street” festival, Republican Senatorial Candidate Larry Hogan wondered what happened. “We had a surplus of $5.5 billion when I left office last January. The Transportation Trust Fund was also flush with cash. Now they’re both completely broke. They’ve spent all the money,” he said,.Hogan Served  as Governor from 2015 to 2023.He said construction on US Route 15 was ready to go under his administration. “No only the widening of 15—which we pushed and led up to the point it was ready to get done—but they’re canceling every single important transportation project in the state, and it’s a disaster,” he said.But Hogan acknowledged he is no longer governor, and won’t have as much impact on transportation funding as when he was Maryland’s Chief Executive. “I don’t have the power to do it anymore. I’m not the governor. But I can tell the state needs to get its act together because you can’t kill all these important road projects,” he said.On another topic, Hogan also talked about protecting Social Security and Medicare. “We’re going to fight to make sure we protect Medicare and Social Security,” he said. “But I also fought for eight years, and finally last year passed the Retirement Tax Elimination Act which the Legislature slowed down to make it phased in over five years. But in five years, nobody will be paying any Maryland Taxes on any of their retirement income, including on Social Security which we’re currently taxing,” he said.Hogan is facing Democrat Angela Alsobrooks in the General Election this fall.By Kevin McManus