UPDATE 9/3/2019: The MD 224 Bridge is now open for travel. Crews will complete landscaping and signage work by using a traffic flagging operation through early fall. MDOT SHA appreciates the patience of our Charles County residents and visitors.

The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) opened the newly improved MD 224 (Riverside Road) Bridge over a branch of the Potomac River in Nanjemoy, Charles County. The work was completed on Monday, Sept. 2.

MDOT SHA closed the bridge in June and directed drivers to use MD 6, Greenleek Hill Road and Sandy Point Road for the detour route.  MDOT SHA’s contractor, Anchor Construction Corporation, of Washington, DC, removed the existing single-span concrete-slab bridge and constructed a new single-span, two-lane concrete slab bridge.  Remaining work for the $1.9 million project includes signage and landscaping installation, which will be performed using a daytime flagging operation through early fall.


MDOT SHA appreciates the patience and cooperation of area residents and travelers during the temporary road closure.  While MDOT SHA and its transportation partners work hard to maintain safe traffic mobility in work zones, each driver should actively modify his or her driving style to help prevent crashes. Stay alert and look for reduced speed limits, narrow driving lanes and highway workers.  Slow down and don’t follow too closely. For real time traffic information, please visit md511.maryland.gov. Those who have further questions may call the MDOT SHA District 5 Office at 410-841-1000. 

The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) is beginning two bridge replacement projects, totaling $16.8 million, in Charles County. The structures are two of the 69 structurally deficient bridges that Governor Larry Hogan pledged to fix in June 2015.

MD 254 (Cobb Island Road) Bridge over Neale Sound:

  • MDOT SHA will replace the MD 254 (Cobb Island Road) Bridge over Neale Sound for $15.2 million. The 55-year-old bridge is safe but has outlived its useful service life and needs to be replaced. The new bridge will have 14-foot lanes and a bike lane, as well as a raised sidewalk for pedestrians on the west side of the bridge providing a connection from the mainland to the island. Crews will also install pedestrian lighting along the bridge. The project will be complete fall 2020.
  • Traffic will be minimally impacted by construction, as the new bridge will be constructed next to the existing structure. There will, however, be times when large equipment is staged close to the roadway requiring occasional off-peak closures to move equipment and material into place.  During lane closures, MDOT SHA will use a flagging operation to guide motorists through the work zone.
  • Cobb Island is a 290-acre triangle surrounded by the Wicomico River on one side, the Potomac River on another and Neale Sound on the third.
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MD 224 (Riverside Road) Bridge over Thorne Gut Branch:

  • In Nanjemoy, MDOT SHA has started preliminary utility relocation work in advance of the project to replace the MD 224 (Riverside Road) Bridge over Thorne Gut Branch. The $1.6 million project will be completed this fall.
  • The 71-year-old bridge is safe but in need of replacement. MDOT SHA will close MD 224 beginning Saturday, June 16 for 10 weeks to minimize the duration of construction. Local access will be maintained up to the bridge closure. Traffic will be detoured during construction from MD 224 to MD 426 (Liverpool Point Road) to MD 6 (Port Tobacco Road) and back to MD 224.
  • To learn more about this project, visit https://bit.ly/2L2us9p.
Courtesy of the Maryland State Highway Administration

Stay alert and look for reduced speed limits, narrow driving lanes and highway workers. Slow down and don’t follow too closely. Work Zone Safety is in Your Hands.

About Charles County Government

The mission of Charles County Government is to provide our citizens the highest quality service possible in a timely, efficient and courteous manner. To achieve this goal, our government must be operated in an open and accessible atmosphere, be based on comprehensive long- and short-term planning and have an appropriate managerial organization tempered by fiscal responsibility. We support and encourage efforts to grow a diverse workplace. Charles County is a place where all people thrive, and businesses grow and prosper; where the preservation of our heritage and environment is paramount; where government services to its citizens are provided at the highest level of excellence; and where the quality of life is the best in the nation.

It is the policy of Charles County to provide equal employment opportunity to all persons regardless of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religious or political affiliation or opinion, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity or expression, or any other status protected by law.