Regional transportation priorities still in limbo

Tri-County Council sends issue back to executive committee

A second meeting in two weeks by the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland resulted in no resolution for regional transportation priorities.

The council’s executive director, John Hartline, said council members voted 13-10 on July 2 against approving a draft letter to the state, which the council had deadlocked on the week before.

Following the defeat of the draft letter, the council unanimously agreed in a voice vote to send it back to the executive committee.

The council had voted 6-6 on a June 25 vote to for ward a draft of regional transportation priorities to the Maryland Department of Transportation. The deadlock centered on the priority level, or lack thereof, of a replacement for the Gov. Thomas Johnson Bridge that spans the Patuxent River between Calvert and St. Mar y’s counties.

Charles County Commissioner Gilbert “BJ” Bowling (D), who is serving as council chair this year, had requested that the council meet again virtually

on July 2.

On Wednesday, July 8, Calvert Commissioner Earl F. “Buddy” Hance (R) said he participated in the July 2 meeting.

“We decided to send it back to the executive committee to see if they can work out the issues,” Hance said. “It’s just hard to get a group that large to consensus on a call.”

He added that “we feel [the meeting] gave the executive committee better direction” regarding the bridge. Hartline agreed, adding that Calvert Commissioner Steve Weems (R), who chairs the committee, is confident the committee can come to a consensus. The committee will vote face-to-face as

opposed to virtually, Hartline said, adding that it will be tough to meet in July with people going on vacation.

The executive committee failed to come to a consensus on transpor tation priorities when it met on June 25 prior to the full council meeting. Hartline said the draft letter was rejected in that meeting before the council deadlocked on it.

Although the bridge was mentioned in the letter, on June 25 at-large council member Helen Wernecke said that “it was an ‘oh, by the way’ kind of comment. It should be more prevalent,” she said.

In addition to rapid transit, which is the top priority, and

widening Routes 2/4, other projects mentioned in the draft letter include a regional transportation hub at the College of Southern Maryland in Hughesville, the U.S. 301 corridor and regional transportation support (for commuter bus ser vices).

The deadline to send the letter to the state is this week, Hance said, adding that it probably wouldn’t hurt too much if it is a little late.

Hance said he feared that when the Calvert commissioners’ decided to remove the bridge as their top priority on March 3, it was sending the wrong message.

“I raised the same concerns in our meeting,” he said. “For

us to continue to not make it our highest priority would send a message to the state that it’s not really that important.”

He noted that the Calvert commissioners decided to make Route 231 improvements their top priority, followed by widening Routes 2/4 in Prince Frederick and then the bridge.

The only one of those three items that are listed as priorities in the draft letter is widening Routes 2/4 in Prince Frederick. Hance said the final phase of that project remains, which runs from Fox Run Boulevard to Stoakley Road.

Bowling and Weems could not be reached for this article.