Southern maryland roads

3

3CATSAILOR

Well-Known Member
Not long ago I traveled up Route 5 from Great Mills to Leonardtown. As I traveled along this road I noticed it was cracking and starting to crumble in some parts. Further up the highway, I noticed some holes in the road which are bound to only get worse. This isn't the only area. Route 235 in Dameron to Route 5 in Ridge is in bad shape. Parts of Route 301 toward Waldorf are in bad shape. Route 5 toward Point Lookout remains in bad shape. I could go on. The State continues to collect millions of dollars from us. I ask, "what do we have to show for it"? Are our roads any better? No. Do we have new highways? No. So, if our roads are not paved and we don't have new highways, then we must ask where is "our" money going? What are they doing with it? I didn't elect or ask to get re-taxed for what we have already been taxed for and to still get nothing in return.

Although we have a Republican governor, is he feeding our taxes to support all of the so called "free" entitlement programs just like his predecessor? First of all, nothing is free. Everything is paid for by someone. I realize there are some people which do not have the ability to understand that concept. But when we were promised that the new tax for our roads would pay for new pavement and then we end up getting a patch here and a patch there, I suspect most of us will not be very satisfied with their end result.

Lets hope that SHA has a good plan to pave our roads this Spring and Summer. Because a strong winter in 2017 will really tear the roads up even further. If SHA continues with a policy of a patch here and a patch there, I suspect all of us that pay taxes will not be very happy. Especially when you have to use the crumbling roads on a daily basis.
 
kom526

kom526

They call me ... Sarcasmo
3Cat- look up HB 1013 from this session in Annapolis. Unless you live in MoCo or Balt. City, you won't see squat for road repairs.
 
S

somdforever

Member
SHA Planning

Rommey said:
Send an email to the SHA. They might not give you an answer you want, but they generally answer/address question and concerns. To give you an idea of projects in the works, check out: http://www.mdot.maryland.gov/newMDOT/Planning/CTP/Final_CTP_16_21/SHA_Documents/Saint_Marys.pdf
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Not a ping on you, but just looked at the "Planning" document you referenced. Other than a few minor patching jobs, and of course, continued construction of the Three Notch Trail (most important part of our infrastructure, sarcastically speaking), there isn't much of any actual construction going on until 2019! Last year, SHA milled and repaved 235 from 245 to St. Andrews Church Rd. So, why haven't they started on the northbound side. That road is looks like it was born with varicose veins with all the patching tar on it!
 
dave1959

dave1959

Active Member
Some of this years projects from The Enterprise Feb 10, 2016....I know its not very much, but they do the beat they can with the funds they have.



When this winter ends and temperatures warm up again in the spring, almost 10 miles of county-maintained roads will be resurfaced.


The St. Mary’s County commissioners on Tuesday awarded the repaving project to Great Mills Trading Post for $1,362,500. Great Mills Trading Post was the lowest of three bidders for the work.


Last July, Great Mills Trading Post was awarded a $1.2 million contract for local road paving with St. Mary’s County government even though it was not the lowest bidder because of a policy that gives preference to local businesses. The company’s bid then was $30,000 more than the lowest bidder — Aggregate Industries.


In this round of bidding for spring road paving, Great Mills Trading Post’s bid was lower than Aggregate Industries bid of $1,464,775 and Francis O’Day Company’s bid of $1,499,425.


St. Mary’s County Commissioner Mike Hewitt (R) noted the local vendor preference policy has been used twice since its adoption in 2012. “I’m glad to see a local vendor that didn’t have to use local vendor preference,” he said.


The policy “doesn’t seem very effective. Do we need it?” he asked.


That decision rests with the county commissioners, Jeannett Cudmore, chief financial officer, said.


“Local [bidders] should be the lowest. I’m not sure that we need to give people extra for asphalt,” Hewitt said. “Sometimes there is only so much value you can get out of something.”


Roads scheduled to be resurfaced this spring include 1 mile of Drayden Road from Piney Point Road and half a mile of St. George’s Church Road in Valley Lee; a half-mile of Bishop Road and 0.9 of a mile of Busy Corner Road in the Loveville area; 1.46 miles of Dr. Johnson Road, 1 mile of Baptist Church Road, all of Oak Road and a half-mile of Mechanicsville Road from Route 5 to Old Village Road in Mechanicsville.


In Hollywood, all of Riva Ridge Road and 0.75 miles of Vista Road will be resurfaced.


All of Gibson Road in the 7th District will be resurfaced.


All of Old St. Andrew’s Church Road, Cherry Laurel Parkway and Sycamore Hollow Drive in California will be resurfaced, as well as 1.25 miles of Hermanville Road from Route 235 to Green Leaf Drive in Lexington Park.


Among the roads to be resurfaced, “mine’s not, I just looked,” joked Commissioner Tom Jarboe (R), who lives in St. Mary’s City
 
bulldog

bulldog

New Member
3CATSAILOR said:
Not long ago I traveled up Route 5 from Great Mills to Leonardtown. As I traveled along this road I noticed it was cracking and starting to crumble in some parts. Further up the highway, I noticed some holes in the road which are bound to only get worse. This isn't the only area. Route 235 in Dameron to Route 5 in Ridge is in bad shape. Parts of Route 301 toward Waldorf are in bad shape. Route 5 toward Point Lookout remains in bad shape. I could go on. The State continues to collect millions of dollars from us. I ask, "what do we have to show for it"? Are our roads any better? No. Do we have new highways? No. So, if our roads are not paved and we don't have new highways, then we must ask where is "our" money going? What are they doing with it? I didn't elect or ask to get re-taxed for what we have already been taxed for and to still get nothing in return.

Although we have a Republican governor, is he feeding our taxes to support all of the so called "free" entitlement programs just like his predecessor? First of all, nothing is free. Everything is paid for by someone. I realize there are some people which do not have the ability to understand that concept. But when we were promised that the new tax for our roads would pay for new pavement and then we end up getting a patch here and a patch there, I suspect most of us will not be very satisfied with their end result.

Lets hope that SHA has a good plan to pave our roads this Spring and Summer. Because a strong winter in 2017 will really tear the roads up even further. If SHA continues with a policy of a patch here and a patch there, I suspect all of us that pay taxes will not be very happy. Especially when you have to use the crumbling roads on a daily basis.
Click to expand...

Run for office so that you can do something about it. It's not like bitching here is going to start a movement that will suddenly change things. Have you contacted your representatives?

Actually, while some of what you say is very valid and I get your point, our roads really are not that bad...by comparison. I absolutely dread going to my mother in law's house in Baltimore because her neighborhood is full of major pot holes. The local thru streets are not much better.
 
Rommey

Rommey

Well-Known Member
somdforever said:
Not a ping on you, but just looked at the "Planning" document you referenced. Other than a few minor patching jobs, and of course, continued construction of the Three Notch Trail (most important part of our infrastructure, sarcastically speaking), there isn't much of any actual construction going on until 2019! Last year, SHA milled and repaved 235 from 245 to St. Andrews Church Rd. So, why haven't they started on the northbound side. That road is looks like it was born with varicose veins with all the patching tar on it!
Click to expand...
I did start out by saying to send an email to the SHA with concerns...they have always responded when I sent them emails about deficient roads and/or poor conditions. The CTP is a rolling 5-year planning document and it's not necessarily to show what is definitely going to happen, but it does show what the SHA is working on (i.e., planning, design, construction, etc.).

Just because a road "looks" bad, doesn't mean it has reached the point where the SHA has to do something yet. Is the road generally safe? Is the road relatively free of potholes and deteriorating pavement? Can the road last in its current state for 1-3 years without a total reconstruction? How many roads in the state are in the same exact condition and not getting fixed?
 
H

Hannibal

Active Member
May have already been mentioned above but I believe a good bit of the budget for roadway repair/construction comes from the gas tax revenue. And being that gas prices are low, collection on the tax revenue has been reduced and has hindered budget. I also believe on the State side (SHA), spending may be tightened up due to some larger projects currently in review which will require substantial funding. Down in S. MD - that includes the Nice River bridge replacement and I thought I heard something about TJ Bridge as well.
 
NorthBeachPerso

NorthBeachPerso

Honorary SMIB
Hannibal said:
May have already been mentioned above but I believe a good bit of the budget for roadway repair/construction comes from the gas tax revenue. And being that gas prices are low, collection on the tax revenue has been reduced and has hindered budget. I also believe on the State side (SHA), spending may be tightened up due to some larger projects currently in review which will require substantial funding. Down in S. MD - that includes the Nice River bridge replacement and I thought I heard something about TJ Bridge as well.
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Gas tax is a per gallon charge, not a sales tax based on price so revenues aren't down. In reality they're up.

Where you have the problem, and someone mentioned a "lockbox", is that the Hogan Administration is attempting to continue current projects, fund HUR money to the Counties and municipalities (which O'Malley reduced to 5% of what Ehrlich had) and design and fund new ones all the while replacing the money that was diverted to the General Fund during the O'Malley Administration. The reality is that the state's Highway Fund was 100% funded and O'Malley took so much from it that the gas tax had to be raised just to pay what was then current expenses without any new projects.

The same thing is happening in regards to the State Retirement System. O'Malley took it from being 100% funded out to at least 2050 down to 58%. Hogan is trying to replace that money and the Legislature is balking the same way they are with highway funds.
 
glhs837

glhs837

Power with Control
Be fair, Owe'Money only took the last billion in the road fund, Earlichs administration took the first billion. I might be off a few millions here or there.
 
stgislander

stgislander

Well-Known Member
PREMO Member
NorthBeachPerso said:
Gas tax is a per gallon charge, not a sales tax based on price so revenues aren't down. In reality they're up.

Where you have the problem, and someone mentioned a "lockbox", is that the Hogan Administration is attempting to continue current projects, fund HUR money to the Counties and municipalities (which O'Malley reduced to 5% of what Ehrlich had) and design and fund new ones all the while replacing the money that was diverted to the General Fund during the O'Malley Administration. The reality is that the state's Highway Fund was 100% funded and O'Malley took so much from it that the gas tax had to be raised just to pay what was then current expenses without any new projects.

The same thing is happening in regards to the State Retirement System. O'Malley took it from being 100% funded out to at least 2050 down to 58%. Hogan is trying to replace that money and the Legislature is balking the same way they are with highway funds.
Click to expand...

Actually, the "sales and use tax equivilent rate" portion of the gas tax is based on the "average annual retail price".

http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2013RS/chapters_noln/Ch_429_hb1515T.pdf
 
3

3CATSAILOR

Well-Known Member
kom526 said:
3Cat- look up HB 1013 from this session in Annapolis. Unless you live in MoCo or Balt. City, you won't see squat for road repairs.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I heard. I was just going by what one of our local politicians told me. I should have known better. We vote a new crop in. And all we seem to get is the same thing. Yeah, I was easy on them. I said crop. Not the other word.
 
Gilligan

Gilligan

#*! boat!
PREMO Member
3CATSAILOR said:
Yeah, I heard. I was just going by what one of our local politicians told me. I should have known better. We vote a new crop in. And all we seem to get is the same thing. Yeah, I was easy on them. I said crop. Not the other word.
Click to expand...

One thing is certain..our "local politicians" can do zip squat about the level of money in state coffers to be allocated for road work. About all they can do is plead and beg for our meager share of the meager funds.

You do "get that"...right?
 
kom526

kom526

They call me ... Sarcasmo
The really sad thing is that HB1013 sent straight down party lines. So all of Charles Counties delegates voted against the possibility of getting highway funds for their roads. The Calvert and St. Mary's contingent voted NO to this bill. So "our crop" of representatives did vote the people's will but the Democratic machine, though weakened is still strong and are voting everything out of spite.

So when making statements about our Governor and our crop of politicians that we voted in, let it be known that the Governor's plan, preflighted by local leaders and transportation experts, was fair to the entire state. The plan that the democrats came up with took ZERO input from any local jurisdictions nor from any transportation experts. So check out who voted what before casting blame.

The cross file for this nonsense is SB908 and I am 1000% positive that Steve Waugh will be voting NAY to this also since this will COMPLETELY cut out ANY funding towards studies to replace the TJ Bridge.
 
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