LEONARDTOWN, Md. – Recently, complaints and concerns over the construction of Rt. 5 intersections in Leonardtown have been increasing due to slow progress, along with the summer months approaching.
According to the Director of Public Works and Transportation for St. Mary’s County James Gotch, the construction that is taking place in Leonardtown is a State Highway project. Earlier this year, the Commissioners and State Delegation also shared the same timing and delay concerns with the State Highway Administration (SHA).
“The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) appreciates the patience and cooperation of residents, travelers, and businesses as we work toward completion of the MD 5 intersection improvements in Leonardtown,” Kellie Boulware wrote in a letter addressed to the county that was received on March 13, 2023.
The letter then went on to explain that the remaining work is scheduled to begin in mid-April with project completion projected to take place this summer.
“SHA’s contractor is preparing to restart work later this month. Remaining work includes pavement patching, landscaping, driveway entrances and asphalt resurfacing of the MD 5 travel lanes, which is scheduled to begin in mid-April. Once work begins, it will require daytime (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.) and/or nighttime single lane closures (8 p.m. to 5 a.m.). A safe, efficient work zone will be maintained as crews work toward project completion this summer.”
Gotch also explained that the county does not receive regularly scheduled updates on the SHA road projects.
We will continue to provide updates as they become available.
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Thank you for following up on this. I’d like to know why the state doesn’t feel the need to provide updates to the citizens that are being inconvenienced by their severe lack of progress on this project. Given its slow progress I believe the citizens, whose monies are being spent, deserve updates on what the problems (if any) are and what is being done to address them. Hopefully, a new state administration will be more forthcoming than our previous administration.
There’s literally never anyone out there working on it, the new nice bridge started construction after this project and was finished before this project ever got done!