At last night’s meeting, the College Park City Council has decided to move forward with forming a new Route 1 Corridor Coalition with the Town of University Park, the Town of Riverdale Park and the City of Hyattsville. The coalition will give these four neighboring municipalities a regular forum to discuss common concerns, coordinate priorities and advocate together on issues affecting communities along the Route 1 corridor.


Route 1 at night. Photo credit: The Washington Post

Although the coalition will initially consist of College Park, University Park, Riverdale Park and Hyattsville, other Route 1 municipalities may be invited to attend meetings as guests when discussions involve issues affecting their communities. These could include North Brentwood, Brentwood, Mount Rainier and other nearby jurisdictions. This flexible approach will allow the coalition to remain focused while involving additional municipal partners when their participation would be helpful.

The meetings will generally follow the format of the existing Four Cities Coalition, which brings together College Park, Berwyn Heights, Greenbelt and New Carrollton. That longstanding partnership gives elected officials and staff a regular opportunity to exchange information, identify shared concerns, learn from one another and coordinate advocacy before County and State officials.

Potential topics for the Route 1 Corridor Coalition include economic development and redevelopment, pedestrian and bicycle safety, traffic congestion, signal timing, public transportation, parking, beautification, snow removal, public safety and coordination with the Maryland State Highway Administration. Because Route 1 is a State-maintained roadway running through several municipalities, our communities often face similar challenges that cannot be addressed effectively by one city acting alone.

Working together will allow the participating municipalities to speak with a stronger and more unified voice when seeking infrastructure improvements, policy changes or financial support from Prince George’s County, the State of Maryland and other agencies. The coalition can also help the communities share successful programs and coordinate responses to development or transportation proposals affecting the entire corridor.

City staff will now begin coordinating with University Park, Riverdale Park and Hyattsville to establish the coalition’s meeting schedule, operating format and initial priorities. The Council looks forward to building this partnership and strengthening cooperation among the communities that share the Route 1 corridor.