Surveys have been done, permits have been issued, construction has started – and stopped – and started – and stopped once again. For almost 16 years, the Charles County Connector, planned to connect state Route 210 and state Route 5 is still unfinished and still in doubt.
Now, the Maryland Department of the Environment recently disclosed that it would be unable to favorably rule on the permitting status of Charles County Cross-County Connector. The long awaited and much debated roadway, planned to be a fast way for travelers to move from western Charles County to State Route 5 on the eastern side of the county, has seen its share of delay, debate, criticism and rancor.
Because MDE stated that it could not rule prior to the deadline set at Nov. 30, Melvin Beall, director of planning, requested a delay on the ruling for six months.
The most recent hold-up to the final phase of road construction is the fact that the connector is slated to cross the environmentally sensitive Mattawoman Creek and watershed. Over the years, environmental groups have demanded a full environmental impact study of the route to ensure that one of the most important tributaries to the Chesapeake Bay watershed is not destroyed by the construction and subsequent travel over the sensitive area.
Charles County politicians and other leaders have been trying to speed up the permitting process citing the need to complete the roadway before costs escalate to the point where the construction is no longer feasible. The road was originally budgeted for $30 million. The county is now stating the cost at closer to $70 million.
County officials have stated in the past that the road is necessary because the anticipated area growth. The existing Billingsley roadway is a single lane road that is prone to accidents, especially in wet conditions.
The area is in the Charles County planned area for residential and commercial growth. Traffic concerns are among the chief reasons the county has pushed for the roadway despite the protests of many environmental groups to the contrary.