Governor O'Malley & Congressman Hoyer Announce MD 5 Widening Project Near the Prince George's/Charles County Line

(Annapolis, Md.) – Governor Martin O'Malley and Congressman Steny H. Hoyer today announced funds to eliminate a traffic bottleneck along MD 5 (Branch Avenue) in Brandywine near the Prince George's/Charles county line. The $14.7 million project will widen MD 5 from two to three lanes in the vicinity of two MD 5 intersections located at Accokeek and Brandywine roads.

"We continue to move forward in improving the State's transportation and infrastructure needs, while also improving the State's quality of life. We have already succeeded in completing the Hughesville Bypass this year and now we are focused on breaking another bottleneck along MD 5," said Governor O'Malley. "Thanks to Congressman Hoyer's continued hard work for Southern Maryland and Prince George's County, we will be able to get this key project into construction and begin to provide some long-overdue relief at these busy intersections."

In 2005, Congressman Hoyer secured $16 million in federal funds for MD 5 improvements in SAFETEA- LU (Safe Accountable Flexible Efficient Transportation Equity Act – A Legacy for Users) and an additional $2.5 million appropriation for MD 5 in 2006. This project will benefit Prince George's County residents and thousands of southern Maryland residents that travel to their jobs every day at Andrews Air Force Base and in Washington, D.C.

"As our population increases in Southern Maryland, so must the capacity of transportation infrastructure to accommodate more drivers on our roadways," said Congressman Steny Hoyer. "The MD 5 and Brandywine Road intersection is notorious for chronic traffic back-ups that tack on significant additional drive time for commuters and local residents. Once completed, this project will help unlock the traffic stalemate that often plagues this major commuter route, improving traffic flow and shortening the amount of time people have to spend in their cars."

Right of way acquisition for the MD 5 widening project is scheduled to begin next spring, with construction to start in spring 2009. In addition to delivering relief to the heavily-traveled MD 5 corridor, this first phase will prepare the corridor for the future MD 5/Accoceek/Brandywine Road interchange and an additional park and ride lot along MD 5. Today, this corridor carries 57,500 vehicles each day, which is projected to increase to 101,000 by the year 2030.

"The MD 5 and Brandywine Road interchange project is a product of a strong federal state partnership and committed focus on meeting the transportation needs of our State," added Hoyer. "I applaud Governor O'Malley, Secretary Porcari and the entire Administration for making this critical project a transportation priority."

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