Bypass, bus, bridge plans get Md. funds

$56 million for region in transportation proposal

Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2008

The money, part of the state’s $10.6 billion, six-year capital investment program, will go toward expanding commuter bus service, building new park-and-ride lots, securing land for the long-proposed Waldorf bypass and studying light rail service to St. Mary’s County.

The six-year transportation plan dedicates $15 million to acquire land along U.S. 301 for the Waldorf bypass, which has been sought for about 20 years.

‘‘You look at transportation project priorities for Southern Maryland, this comes right to the top and we just need to keep the process moving along,” said Sen. Thomas ‘‘Mac” Middleton (D-Charles). ‘‘We can’t afford to have it just sit in limbo.”

Officials want to build a highway that will skirt the western edge of Waldorf, where traffic is frequently congested because of a series of traffic signals

The plan also includes $4 million over the next three years to complete the planning phase for a new or replacement span of the Gov. Thomas Johnson Memorial Bridge, which is a top transportation priority for area lawmakers.

‘‘It’s not a convenience thing, it’s a safety issue,” said Sen. Roy P. Dyson, who has pushed for years to upgrade the 30-year-old, two-lane span.

The importance of bridge maintenance was heightened after the collapse in August of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, which killed 13 people and injured more than 100.

‘‘The [National Transportation Safety Board] ... has urged various places in the country to look at their bridges,” said Dyson (D-St. Mary’s, Calvert, Charles). ‘‘A couple years ago, they didn’t even want to do annual inspections on those bridges, particularly the Thomas Johnson bridge.”

Former Republican Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. made an initial $1.5 million payment in 2006 to start project planning for the only direct link between Calvert and St. Mary’s counties.

‘‘We’ve been fighting for this money for a long time,” said House Minority Leader Anthony J. O’Donnell (R-Calvert, St. Mary’s).

‘‘Governor Ehrlich started this and although we missed a year last year, I’m glad to see it’s in the plans.”

However, he warned that just because the money is listed in this year’s budget, it’s not guaranteed to stay there in future years if the state faces an economic crunch.

‘‘This money could be very evaporative,” O’Donnell said.

The project also aims to expand capacity along Route 4, particularly on the St. Mary’s County side of the bridge.

The plan also includes $12 million for the construction of commuter lots in Prince Frederick, Waldorf and Charlotte Hall. There is also $20 million to expand the statewide commuter bus system, which has proven popular among Southern Maryland commuters.

‘‘We just need to be more efficient with traffic, fuel and people’s time, so the more public transportation we can offer, the better off we’ll all be,” said Del. Sue Kullen (D-Calvert).

Money is also allotted for several local projects:

*$3 million in engineering funds to improve traffic flow and safety along Routes 2⁄4 in Prince Frederick.

*$2 million for a streetscape project on Leonardtown Road in Waldorf.

*$500,000 in planning money to improve traffic flow and safety along Route 5 in Leonardtown.

In addition, the Maryland Transit Administration has previously announced it is conducting studies to examine the viability of light rail service between Washington, D.C., and St. Mary’s County and a separate analysis exploring potential alignments for future bus rapid transit or light rail service between White Plains and the Branch Avenue Metro station in Marlow Heights.

Despite the bounty of projects, O’Donnell said it’s far less than other regions are slated to receive. O’Malley’s transportation program lists $678 million for projects in Central Maryland, $470 million for Montgomery County and $460 million for Prince George’s County.

‘‘It highlights the focus that this administration has put on the urban areas and I would say that’s contradictory to the concept of ‘One Maryland,’” O’Donnell said.