Some Road Relief, but Not for Waldorf Bypass

State transportation representatives visited the three Southern Maryland counties this week to brief officials on current and future road construction projects.

The long-awaited Hughesville bypass, which Maryland Transportation Secretary Robert L. Flanagan said continues as the No. 1 priority for Southern Maryland, is more than halfway complete and is on schedule to open next summer.

But the traffic congestion on Route 301 in Waldorf received the most attention in Flanagan's briefing Monday with Charles County commissioners and state legislators. Del. Murray D. Levy (D-Charles) and others said they are frustrated that it has taken so long to identify a solution to traffic woes there.

The north-south artery is one of the most heavily traveled in Southern Maryland, serving as one of only a few gateways for commuters in and around Washington. Despite studying the congestion and possible solutions for more than a decade, federal, state and local officials have not settled on a plan for a bypass that would redirect some of the traffic around Waldorf.

"The congestion there has been severe," Levy told Flanagan and state highway administrator Neil J. Pedersen. "The clock has been ticking for a number of years now."

Pedersen said it takes time to form partnerships with federal agencies on such an ambitious project, adding that the current schedule would result in a public hearing by the end of 2007 before transportation officials make a decision. He said state officials will apply the lessons learned in negotiating construction of the Intercounty Connector in Montgomery and Prince George's counties to the Waldorf bypass project.

"Don't just think it's a study," Flanagan said. "It's not just a study. It's a process that will move this forward."

Commissioner Al Smith (R-Waldorf) applauded Flanagan and Pedersen, telling the men their "track record is outstanding."

As currently conceived, the Waldorf bypass would be part of what Flanagan said he hopes will be a controlled-access expressway stretching 45 miles along Route 301 from the U.S. 50 interchange in Bowie in Prince George's County to the Potomac River in Charles County.

A major concern, state and local officials said, is whether transportation agencies will be able to easily acquire the rights of way needed for upgrades along Route 301 and a Waldorf bypass. Some sections of the likely route are heavily developed commercially, and Levy stressed that it may be difficult to acquire enough land to expand the roadway or build a bypass.

"We are committed to preservation of right of way, but it has to be a partnership," Pedersen said.

Charles officials also cautioned the state against proceeding with a $5 million study of ways to expand the Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge carrying Route 301 across the Potomac before fixing the traffic problems in Waldorf.