Roundabout being considered for Clements

Bridge work to resume nearby

Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009

The Maryland Department of Transportation has told the St. Mary's County commissioners that a roundabout intersection is planned for the intersection of Budds Creek Road — Route 234 — and Colton Point Road in Clements.

The intersection is now a four-way stop. A recent letter from SHA to the commissioners said, "The current level of service is acceptable, but [the agency] has determined that the intersection would operate more efficiently as a one-lane roundabout."

Funding is being sought for preliminary engineering now. The intersection sees 9,500 vehicles a day on average, said Kellie Boulware, spokesperson for the Maryland State Highway Administration.

A roundabout was finished at the intersection on Maddox Road and Road 234 in Chaptico in October 2007 at a cost of $1.7 million. That new traffic pattern took some getting used to by local residents.

"That one in Chaptico kind of smoothed itself out," said Francis Jack Russell (D), president of the county commissioners. "That stuff has kind of calmed down."

But such a roundabout in Clements might run into size constraints. "The big problem was the amount of land it would take to get in there," he said, with three structures and a ballfield immediately adjacent to the intersection.

It may appear to passersby that work to replace the bridge over St. Clement's Creek has stopped, but the recently poured asphalt needs time to cure to strengthen, said David Buck, another spokesman for state highway. "Once they pour the deck they have to get the strength," he said. As of last week, the contractor just came off a 28-day wait. The strength of the asphalt is not ready for traffic yet, but it should be in five to six weeks.

The $1.4 million project to redeck the bridged started in April and is expected to be completed by December.

The final approaches to the bridge will be resurfaced, stripes will be painted back and the temporary traffic signal should be removed all by the end of the year, Buck said.

The bridge structure dated back to 1950.

jbabcock@somdnews.com