Raley says state roads in south county need work

Money limited, engineer says

Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009

Lee Starkloff, district engineer for the Maryland State Highway Administration, asked the commissioners to bear with the department as funding levels are at historic lows for road maintenance for the next few years. He replaces Greg Welker, who was promoted.

"The wear and tear on our roads is starting to show," Raley said. As a rural county, "we pay a lot of gas tax," but some in St. Mary's feel they don't get the full benefit of those revenues back to the county, he said. Gas taxes pay for road work.

Federal stimulus funds are now being used for some repaving projects on Route 5 from Old Village Road to Route 235 and from Loveville Road to Budds Creek Road. This fall Route 5 is going to be resurfaced in spots from the county line down to Rosecroft Road in St. Mary's City. "St. Mary's County does not stop at St. Mary's College," Raley said, and the road needs work south of that down to Ridge.

State highway's maintenance men surveyed the roads and "tried to select the worst of the worst" for the federal stimulus projects, Starkloff said.

Streetscape work continues in Leonardtown, and Raley said similar work is coming to Lexington Park along Great Mills Road. "This can be a major success or a major pain in the neck for you and me both," he said. Raley did call the widening work being done on Chancellor's Run Road "fantastic," though.

Other work pending includes the redecking of the bridge over St. Clement's Creek on Route 234, a new traffic signal on Route 235 at Buck Hewitt Road and design is under way for a new traffic signal at Route 235 and Airport View Drive in Hollywood.

jbabcock@somdnews.com