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I have great concerns about Holy Cross Hospital's request to the Montgomery County Council to bypass traffic regulations in its rush to build a hospital in Germantown, as described in the Sept. 14 edition of The Gazette.

As a long-time resident of Germantown, who has watched traffic increase steadily as our community has grown, I believe that the Germantown hospital proposal on the Montgomery College campus presents some serious traffic and environmental challenges in an already congested area. For local residents, one only has to drive on Route 118, Middlebrook Road or Route 355 to see that adding a hospital to that area will burden these heavily-traveled roadways at all times of the day.

The issue came up at a County Council town hall meeting earlier this year when residents raised concerns about the increased traffic on a commuter campus, which has a significant number of young drivers and pedestrians.

While I believe that a hospital is an important part of a community, ensuring a location that does not create gridlock, especially where emergency vehicles will need access, is vital.

Germantown already has health care services provided by the Shady Grove Adventist Emergency Center and medical campus. Plus, Adventist HealthCare's proposed hospital and medical campus in Clarksburg, located just off I-270, will provide better access to all residents and not create significant traffic problems in our region.

I hope the state health board will consider this important issue as it reviews the proposals for a hospital in upper Montgomery County.

Maria S. Garcia, Germantown