Leonardtown, MD — Improvements to Route 5 and Great Mills Road appear to have supplanted extending Pegg Road as the preferred fix to commuter traffic woes in the Great Mills area.

St. Mary’s County Commissioner Mike Hewitt [R – 2nd District] had recently said that the Pegg Road extension made more sense because improving the Great Mills Road/Route 5 intersection would cause massive problems during an extended construction period.

Hewitt changed his mind after he and Commissioner President Randy Guy [R] met recently with state highway officials in a meeting closed to the public. The meeting was not in violation of the St. Mary’s County Open Meetings law because a quorum of the commissioner board was not in attendance.

Hewitt (shown) announced his change of mind during the commissioners’ June 2 meeting. Hewitt said that from the meeting he came away with “good news’ about a proposed project at the Great Mills intersection – “It is affordable.” Hewitt said they were told the price would be between $15 million and $17 million and would be a state-funded project.

Commissioner Tom Jarboe [R – District 1] said the traffic during rush hour was a “huge frustration” for commuters. He said the state officials assured the two commissioners that two lanes of traffic could be kept open at all times during construction.

Hewitt said the price tag also included the replacement of the Route 5 bridge over the St. Mary’s River.

The Pegg Road extension, which was originally in the county’s highway plan, but then taken off, would extend the road from Chancellors Run Road to Route 5 just south of Callaway. During discussion in previous years concern had been raised about the need for a wetlands crossing along that route. Also officials from King’s Christian Academy were concerned that some of their property would be crossed.

During the earlier discussions Hewitt had said he thought the concerns about Pegg Road could be addressed. But the biggest problem was that the road would have to be constructed, at least in part, with county dollars.

The Great Mills intersection project would have to get on the state highway plan.

Jarboe noted that the project would at least be as far in the future as 2019 or 2020, leaving commuters with a long wait for a fix.

Contact Dick Myers at dick.myers@thebaynet.com