The events Feb. 19 due to multiple auto accidents on Route 228 and Billingsley Road in the middle of rush hour can only be described as “chaos.”

I was among the unlucky travelers who were caught in the gridlocked mess. There were cars making U-turns in the median, and it was a very dangerous situation. I waited until I made it to a turnaround and made a U-turn myself, after waiting 40 minutes. I turned onto Middletown Road with the plan to take Billingsley Road to Bryans Road, and then continue on to Indian Head. That plan was changed when I approached Billingsley Road and found that it, too, was at a standstill due to an accident.

I had to proceed on Middletown Road and use Marshall Corner Road as my alternative route. Many cars followed, and I passed many cars that were in the same predicament from Indian Head. It made for a very stressful, chaotic trip.

I can’t help but wonder if the cross-county connector would have helped tremendously in this situation and possibly would have prevented the accidents in the first place. Charles County is steadily changing, and we have to keep the safety of our citizens in mind.

I know that I am not alone in my commute from Indian Head to Waldorf, and I can’t help but wonder if our safety is in jeopardy simply because some are afraid of change. It is apparent that it is time that our local officials stop pandering to the environmentalists and build the cross-county connector.

If memory serves, the reason that the construction was stopped was because of a dandelion. Are the lives of Charles County citizens more important than a wildflower?

Penny Slaughter, Indian Head