The area has been growing steadily over the past 10 years and the three main construction projects will widen a three-mile stretch of the road from two lanes to six lanes.
“The investments we are highlighting today will ease a notorious bottleneck that has plagued this region for far too long,” Hogan says. “With the growth of Fort Meade, these projects are critical to delivering the infrastructure needed to support the 52,000 employees who rely on MD 175 every day.”
Hogan announced that design work is in progress for $81.2 million in improvements to the MD 175/MD 295 interchange that will involve widening the MD 175 bridge to six lanes, adding signaled left turns at the MD 295 interchange and ADA-compliant sidewalks and a shared-use path on MD 175. The work will begin in the fall of 2018.
This fall, widening work is expected to begin on a one-mile section of MD 175 from Disney Road to Reece Road that will also add a hiker/biker trail and on-road bike facilities in addition to converting the roadway to a six-lane divided highway. The $43.7 million project could be completed by the spring of 2018.
The last of the three main projects Hogan announced is aimed at improving access for Fort Meade. The intersections at MD 175/Reece Road and MD 175/Mapes Road will be updated with additional turn and through lanes, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, new security fence and a tree buffer at the intersections near Fort Meade gates 3 and 4. Officials expect the $14.5 million project to be completed in the fall of 2018.
These projects are part of Hogan’s $1.97 billion transportation improvement plan announced last summer. The majority of these funds, $1.35 billion, will be used for new projects.
