Construction on a long-awaited widening of MD 5 through Great Mills is expected to start next year. That was among the updates Maryland’s top transportation officials brought to Charles and St. Mary’s county leaders Tuesday.
Maryland Transportation Secretary Katie Thomson met with officials from both counties to present the state’s Draft Consolidated Transportation Program for fiscal years 2027 through 2032. The $21.9 billion, six-year capital plan covers everything the state’s Transportation Trust Fund pays for: highways, local transit, the MVA, BWI and regional airports, the Port of Baltimore, and Maryland’s share of Washington’s Metro system.
“Visiting each county in Maryland and Baltimore City to discuss the State’s transportation system with residents and elected officials is an invaluable part of the budgetary process,” Thomson said. “I’m grateful to our local leaders for their vision and partnership in creating a safer and stronger transportation system for everyone.”
The draft builds on the Moore administration’s Serious About Safety initiative to reduce traffic deaths and serious injuries. It also funds maintenance needs and projects aimed at economic growth. Leaders from the State Highway Administration, Maryland Transit Administration, Motor Vehicle Administration, Maryland Aviation Administration and Maryland Transportation Authority joined Thomson at the meetings.
St. Mary’s County: MD 5 through Great Mills
State Highway Administrator Will Pines said design is complete on the $32.3 million project to upgrade MD 5, Point Lookout Road, between Indian Bridge Road (MD 471) and Great Mills Road (MD 246). The project will widen MD 5 from two lanes to four, add a bike lane and sidewalk, and replace the bridge over the St. Mary’s River. Construction is expected to begin in 2027.
The state says the work is needed to keep up with residential, workforce and commercial growth in Great Mills. About 21,600 vehicles use that stretch of MD 5 each day now. MDOT projects that will rise to 28,100 by 2046. The draft budget spreads construction money over three years: about $3 million in fiscal 2027, $9 million in 2028 and $7.5 million in 2029.
The draft also keeps a $7.9 million planning and engineering study for upgrading MD 4 between MD 2 and MD 235. That includes the Gov. Thomas Johnson Memorial Bridge over the Patuxent River, which connects St. Mary’s and Calvert counties. The study doesn’t fund construction.
St. Mary’s County’s transit system will receive about $1.8 million in state grants for preventive maintenance and two medium-size buses.
Charles County: bridge, bikeway, buses
In Charles County, Pines said work is wrapping up on the replacement of a culvert that carries MD 225, Hawthorne Road, over a branch of Mattawoman Creek. The $4.3 million project replaces a pipe system dating to 1951 that the state had rated in poor condition. Pines thanked residents for their patience and local agencies for coordinating the detour.
The Town of La Plata will receive a $200,000 Kim Lamphier Bikeways grant to build phase two of the La Plata Bikeway, a path along Radio Station Road from Audie Lane to Rosewick Road. The bikeway is planned to eventually connect several La Plata schools with Laurel Springs Regional Park.
Charles County’s local transit system will get about $5.4 million in grants for preventive maintenance, two small buses and one medium bus.
The draft also includes a $16.3 million safety project on MD 6, Charles Street, in La Plata between US 301 and Willow Lane. It adds mountable roundabouts to calm traffic and improves accessibility. Engineering and right-of-way work is underway, with construction expected to start in fiscal 2028.
Two long-sought Waldorf projects remain on the shelf: a $13 million study to upgrade the US 301 intersection at MD 228 and MD 5 Business, and a flyover from southbound US 301 to MD 5. Both have been on hold for more than five years, and the state says neither will be funded in the final plan unless money becomes available.
Rapid transit study nears finish line
The draft also funds completion of the Southern Maryland Rapid Transit planning study. The study is weighing bus rapid transit, light rail and other options for the MD 5/US 301 corridor, from the Branch Avenue Metro station in Prince George’s County to the Waldorf-White Plains area in Charles County.
What’s next
Tuesday’s sessions are part of MDOT’s annual tour of all 23 counties and Baltimore City to gather input on the draft plan. The tour continues through October, and the meeting schedule is posted online. MDOT will send the final plan to the General Assembly in January for the 2027 session.
Toll facilities run by the Maryland Transportation Authority, including the Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge on US 301, are paid for separately through tolls.
