The traffic in St. Mary’s County has been on the tips of many citizens’ tongues lately. TheBAYNET.com checked in with State Highway Administration’s District 5 Liaison, Bob Rager, to get the scoop on the roadway projects affecting your daily drives.
Many are wondering what’s going on with MD 237/Chancellor’s Run Road….
SHA will be activating all of the new signals on the road this week. Rager said for the first few days, the signals will flash cautionary yellow on the mainline and red on the sidestreets, helping motorists become familiar with the signal locations. On or about the evening of Sunday, Oct. 24, SHA will switch all signals to full color operation and will open the northbound side of MD 237 to traffic.
Drivers will be restricted to the outside, ride lane to allow the contractor to safely construct center islands and turn bays along the busy road. An end to the construction is in sight, as Rager said, “SHA’s goal is to have all of the new lanes completed in the coming weeks, leaving mostly landscape work to finish up in the spring.
Converting MD 237 to a dual highway, Rager suggested, will improve vehicle flow and will provide tremendous pedestrian benefits, with five miles of new sidewalks that safely link communities near the Chancellor’s Run Park and the Loffler Senior Center. Five-foot bicycle lanes will mean a safer ride for cyclists.
Motorists and area residents will see MD 237 as a divided highway with signalized intersections for the first time in the very near future and Rager offered a reminder that it is still an active work zone and drivers should remain alert of construction equipment, personnel and changing road conditions.
Another roadway with often heavy traffic, MD 246, Great Mills Rd…
“The MD 246 Streetscape project is moving along well,” Rager said. He estimated 95 percent of the water and sewer work had been completed and said curb and gutter work started last week and will continue into the winter, if weather permits. Work on the storm drains and installation of American with Disabilities Act- compliant sidewalks will follow, then in spring, paving and landscape work will begin.
Washington Gas started relocating some of their lines at the MD 246 and Willows/Shangri-La intersection, adding to congestion in the area.
A new traffic signal is underway at Airport View Dr. on MD 235 in Hollywood. The new signal will facilitate turning movements into and out of St. Mary’s Industrial Park and should be completed by the end of 2010.
Rager shared a reminder that drivers on all Maryland roads are prohibited from texting or talking on hand-held devices. Any questions on MD 237 or other SHA projects in Southern Md. can be emailed to Mr. Rager, by clicking here and TheBAYNET.com welcomes your inquiries about projects affecting your daily commute.
