Variety of delays push road projects back to 2010

Late ‘quarterly’ report shows plans off schedule

Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2008

By JAY FRIESS

Staff writer

Halfway there

Charles County has completed seven of the 14 projects listed in their enhanced transportation program as of this month. Here’s a list of what is complete and what isn’t. Complete Acton Lane Phase 2 – Dualization of Acton Lane between U.S. 301 and Western Parkway in Waldorf. Completed September 2005. Rosewick Road Phase 1 – Construction of a four-lane road with bike trail between U.S. 301 and Washington Avenue in La Plata. Completed June 2006. Rosewick Road Phase 3 – Construction of four-lane road with bike trail between Radio Station Road in La Plata and St. Charles Parkway in Waldorf. Completed October 2007. Western Parkway Phase 1B – Construction of a four-lane road with bike trail between Acton Lane and Western Parkway Phase 1A in Waldorf. Substantially completed November 2007. Middletown Road Phase 1B – Dualization of Middletown Road with bike trail between Rocky Road Place and Route 228 in Waldorf. Substantially completed July 2008. Cross-county connector Phase 4A – Dualization of Billingsley Road between St. Patrick’s Drive and Middletown Road in Waldorf. Completed July 2005. Cross-county connector Phase 4B & Middletown Road Phase 2 – Dualization of Middletown Road between Smallwood Drive and Billingsley Road with bike trail and construction of a new Middletown⁄Billingsley intersection. Completed July 2007. Incomplete Acton Lane Phase 3 – Widening of Acton Lane between Western Parkway and county border in Waldorf. Due September 2009 (two and a half years behind). Rosewick Road Phase 2 – Construction of four-lane road with bike trail between Washington Avenue and Radio Station Road in La Plata. Due April 2009 (two years behind). Western Parkway Phase 2 – Dualization of Western Parkway between Acton Lane and Pierce Road in Waldorf. Due December 2009 (three years behind). Western Parkway Phase 3 – Construction of four-lane road with bike trail between Pierce Road and Mattawoman Road in Waldorf. Due September 2010 (two years behind). Cross-county connector Phases 5, 6 and 7 - Construction of four-lane road with bike trail from Phase 4B in Waldorf to Route 210 in Bryans Road. Due between fall and winter 2010 (two years behind).

A combination of delays due to construction problems, slow right of way acquisition and environmental permitting has pushed the completion of Charles County’s enhanced transportation program out to 2010.

Planning officials last week delivered their first quarterly report on the collection of 14 road projects since February 2007, which revealed that the program’s seven remaining projects are two to three years behind schedule.

There has been a lot of progress in the 16 months since the last report. The county has completed four projects in the interim for a total of seven completed projects. Another project, Rosewick Road Phase 2, is under construction.

The county has also made strides in the area of property acquisition, securing 211 (83 percent) of the 254 properties needed for the roads. This is up from 193 properties (76 percent) in early 2007. Two projects are still awaiting rights of way.

The county’s seven remaining projects are trailing far behind their target completion dates.

Acton Lane Phase 2 is facing delays from right of way acquisition and budget-busting construction bids. It is currently two and a half years behind schedule and scheduled for a September 2009 completion.

Rosewick Road Phase 2 is facing delays from infrastructure relocation. Weak soil problems have also pushed the project $1.3 million (23 percent) over budget. The project is two years behind and shooting for an April 2009 completion.

Western Parkway Phases 2 and 3 have been hampered by efforts to engineer intersections with U.S. 301 and also by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wetlands permitting process.

The project’s completion date has been pushed back two years to September 2010.

The corps and the county’s environmental community are also standing in the way of Phases 5, 6, and 7 of the cross-county connector. The agency held a public hearing Thursday night on whether or not to require the county to complete an environmental impact statement for the fragile Mattawoman Creek, through which the road would be built. (See story, Page A-1)

The EIS process would take one to two years.

According to Melvin C. Beall, director of planning and growth management, the corps should provide the county with a decision within 40 days after the hearing.

The connector’s completion date has been pushed back two years to fall 2010.

The county did not respond to an inquiry about whether this date accounts for a possible EIS or just the tight fiscal situation the county faces.

Planning and finance officials have been before the commissioners several times this year requesting budget transfers between projects in an effort to keep the road program moving. This week, the commissioners approved the transfer of $680,000 to boost the Acton Lane Phase 3 construction budget.

Beall told the commissioners that staff would soon bring a proposal to the commissioners to comprehensively reshuffle money in each project.

‘‘A lot of projects have run into various snags,” County Administrator Paul W. Comfort added.

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