SHA facilitates heavy haul through county

U.S. 301 to be used as route for Keys plant in Prince George’s

On Aug. 1, Charles County residents may be impacted by yet another planned heavy haul.

The Maryland State Highway Administration is facilitating a two night heavy haul on Aug. 1 and Aug. 2 to move buildout materials to the Keys Energy Center in Brandywine.

David Buck, a spokesman for the State Highway Administration, said the move will be over those two nights. Roll-Lift, the

company transporting the materials that previously wanted to move through Pinefield’s residential area, will transport the materials from Aqualand in Newburg to U.S. 301 and onto Brandywine Road to the energy center.

The State Highway Administration is recommending travelers avoid the area with transport scheduled between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. on Aug. 1. The convoy will include nearly two dozen trucks moving cargo to the construction site.

Buck said motorists will not be able to pass the convoy. If traffic delays become significant, the convoy will stop at one of nine pause locations where police will direct traffic.

The truck will move at a maximum 5 mph, Buck said, over the two nights. Because the move is strictly using U.S. 301 and not any residential areas to circumvent the bridges on the routes, there will need to be two jump bridges added over Mattawoman Creek and Timothy Creek.

“They will be building a jump bridge over Mattawoman Creek at the Creek at the Charles County line. Then on night two, there will be a jump bridge on U.S. 301 north over Timothy Creek in Prince George’s County,” Buck said.

Initially, Roll-Lift wanted to move through Pinefield to avoid the bridges on this route. But Pinefield residents and the Pinefield Civic Association spoke out against having the heavy haul come through their neighborhood.

Pinefield is a small community right on the edge of the Charles County border to Prince George’s County, which makes it a convenient place for heavy material travel.

But residents had concerns about the long-term effects on the roadways and potential damage to foliage and property on the walkways of the neighborhood.

In the name of being a “good neighbor” to Charles County residents, Rick Drew, a RollLift project manager said, the company opted to look at other options rather than Pinefield. This move is a result of that. Buck said the state will assign 14 state troopers each night for the move to control traffic and assist with the move.

The convoy will travel using both northbound lanes of U.S. 301 from Orlando Park Drive in Newburg, just north of the Gov. Harry Nice Memorial Bridge. On Aug. 1, the convoy will travel 35 miles on night one from Aqualand to the Panda Energy Power Plant on Mattawoman Drive. On Aug 2. the cargo will be transported from the Panda yard to the Keys Energy Center site on North Keys Road.

Along with state police, the Charles County Sheriff’s Office and emergency responders will be present to ensure it is safely transported with minimal impacts, Buck said.

Donna Fuqua, a public information officer for Charles County, said there are no county roads being utilized on the project. There is no anticipated residential impact. Twitter: @SykesIndyNews