Hughesville Bypass

[SamSpade]

I drive up Rte. 5 (or ride on the bus) through the infamous intersection that has been so ripe for a bypass.

Ok, so this is a dumb question, but - is all that construction I see, just south of the intersection, the new bypass? You know, where it looks like they're ripping up the sides of the road? Where will it reconnect with Rte 5? If it is, what will it look like? Are they going to make a flyover Rte 5?

 

[aps45819]

what will it look like?

Black with white lines.

 

[dems4me]

I drive up Rte. 5 (or ride on the bus) through the infamous intersection that has been so ripe for a bypass.

Ok, so this is a dumb question, but - is all that construction I see, just south of the intersection, the new bypass? You know, where it looks like they're ripping up the sides of the road? Where will it reconnect with Rte 5? If it is, what will it look like? Are they going to make a flyover Rte 5?

I was wondering the same thing... you are talking near the area where the tornado ripped through? I've seen them clearing out the land as well but can't figure out those long metal poles in the air with various pulleys etc... :shrug:

 

[itsbob]

I've seen them clearing out the land as well but can't figure out those long metal poles in the air with various pulleys etc... :shrug:

Thats where the elevated roadway is going to be for the new forthcoming hovercars. they are just planning ahead!!

 

[crabcake]

I believe that's gonna be the off-ramp back into Hughesville and the end of the bypass where it'll merge back in with Rt. 5. I'm not sure where it starts (north end) though. I've asked around several times for what/where it'll be but ain't seen/heard nuthin'. :shrug:

 

[Chasey_Lane]

The b/f and I were discussing this over the weekend. It'll pick up in Hughesville and dump off where? Mattawoman? And how will this help traffic at the Route 231 light? It'll just backup where the exit will dump out at, right? :shrug:

 

[dems4me]

The b/f and I were discussing this over the weekend. It'll pick up in Hughesville and dump off where? Mattawoman? And how will this help traffic at the Route 231 light? It'll just backup where the exit will dump out at, right? :shrug:

:shrug: I was thinking the same thing... :shrug:

 

[FancyBelle]

I heard that the overpass will begin off 231 and end up on the other side of Hughesville. I too don't understand how in the he!! that is going to ease congestion at the light, but I guess that's why they are building it and I'm not.

 

[aps45819]

The new four-lane, divided highway will extend from north of Gallant Green Road to south of Deborah Drive. The bypass includes new ramps, an interchange with two roundabouts at MD 231 and three new bridges - the Homeland Drive bridge over the bypass and two new MD 5 bridges over MD 231. These improvements will significantly improve traffic operations in the busy corridor. Additional improvements include a sound wall for the Hughesville Manor community, intersection improvements along MD 5 at Gallant Green Road, and the relocation of Foster Lane.
more

 

[somdcrab]

:shrug: I was thinking the same thing... :shrug:

 

[Chasey_Lane]

Basically, it'll knock-off a few minutes of travel time for individuals traveling north. Instead of heading to Waldorf, jumping on Mattawoman-Beantown and heading to Clinton, the bypass will allow them to skip Waldorf all together.

I still don't see how it will help traffic, though.

 

[dems4me]

Thats my neck of the woods... Gallent Green Road... Guess I should pay attention more to these things...

 

[somdcrab]

yeppers

 

[crabcake]

Basically, it'll knock-off a few minutes of travel time for individuals traveling north. Instead of heading to Waldorf, jumping on Mattawoman-Beantown and heading to Clinton, the bypass will allow them to skip Waldorf all together.

I still don't see how it will help traffic, though.

I don't see how this is gonna let them skip Waldorf. Gallant Green Road is just a mile or two north of the light in Hughesville (near Randy's Ribs & BBQ and that gas station that's being torn down). If it starts there and comes back out south of Hughesville, you'll still have to go up to Mattawoman-Beantown to hit Rt. 5 North to Clinton.

Personally, I think fixing the bottleneck/congestion in north Waldorf/Brandywine is a bigger need than Hughesville. I can count on one hand the number of times I've spent more than 5 minutes waiting in traffic in Hughesville; yet, every day I sit in Brandywine for at least 20-25 minutes.

 

[SamSpade]

Basically, it'll knock-off a few minutes of travel time for individuals traveling north. Instead of heading to Waldorf, jumping on Mattawoman-Beantown and heading to Clinton, the bypass will allow them to skip Waldorf all together.

I still don't see how it will help traffic, though.

Do you ever go through that intersection during rush hour? I've been in backups that go at least a mile, especially going south. Sometimes, the line barely moves.

It probably wouldn't be a problem except for the fact that there's a turn lane, which, if it didn't exist, or if the road COULD be made wider there, would obviate the need for any traffic alleviation. The "turn lane" - which is actually just a re-drawing on the road, making the "through lanes" narrower - only queues up a few cars. Get more than five or six cars making a left there, and you basically have one lane getting through, because as the line to turn grows, it blocks out a through lane altogether.

You get the same problem when a lane is closed due to an accident - everyone merging into one lane. Except that it happens every day AND there's a light, so for every traffic cycle, no one gets through at all.

It doesn't happen as much going north, because hardly anyone is making a left turn that direction. The only problem that way is the merging traffic - sometimes the traffic from the right is also backed up - I've been in that one for a half-hour or more.

Admittedly, it's not as bad as, say, typical traffic in the mixing bowl, the west half of the Beltway in Virginia, or crossing the Woodrow Wilson bridge (either direction, morning or evening). The only other place in Southern Maryland I know that comes close is crossing into Solomon's in the evening, and that's just occasionally bad.

 

[Chasey_Lane]

Personally, I think fixing the bottleneck/congestion in north Waldorf/Brandywine is a bigger need than Hughesville. I can count on one hand the number of times I've spent more than 5 minutes waiting in traffic in Hughesville; yet, every day I sit in Brandywine for at least 20-25 minutes.

Opposite for me. I don't hit much traffic in Brandywine, however, I've often sat for 15 plus minutes at the 231 light.

 

[SamSpade]

Personally, I think fixing the bottleneck/congestion in north Waldorf/Brandywine is a bigger need than Hughesville. I can count on one hand the number of times I've spent more than 5 minutes waiting in traffic in Hughesville; yet, every day I sit in Brandywine for at least 20-25 minutes.

I don't know if there IS a way to fix that one. What I usually do is zoom down the right lane, go up 301, and cross over to 5 at the next light.

 

[dems4me]

I don't see how this is gonna let them skip Waldorf. Gallant Green Road is just a mile or two north of the light in Hughesville (near Randy's Ribs & BBQ and that gas station that's being torn down). If it starts there and comes back out south of Hughesville, you'll still have to go up to Mattawoman-Beantown to hit Rt. 5 North to Clinton.

Personally, I think fixing the bottleneck/congestion in north Waldorf/Brandywine is a bigger need than Hughesville. I can count on one hand the number of times I've spent more than 5 minutes waiting in traffic in Hughesville; yet, every day I sit in Brandywine for at least 20-25 minutes.

CC, you can skip the traffic in Brandywine by taking Galant Green Road to the stop sign and hanging a right and then hanging a left onto (forgot the name of the short road) it'll take you right to dogpatch and go straight and it eventually turns into Horsehead -- stay on that and take 381 all the way up or there's more backroads you can take via Missouri through Earnshaw Drive... its a lot faster. :shrug:

 

[FastCarsSpeed]

Basically, it'll knock-off a few minutes of travel time for individuals traveling north. Instead of heading to Waldorf, jumping on Mattawoman-Beantown and heading to Clinton, the bypass will allow them to skip Waldorf all together.

I still don't see how it will help traffic, though.

the bypass will litterally bypass hughesville for all southbound and northbound rt. 5 travelers. If you have traveled down 301 over in Virginia they did the same thing in the bowling green area. with all the traffic that goes north and south not coming through hughesville this will allow the lighter traffic from 231 travelers to get off and on rt 5 alot easier.

 

[crabcake]

CC, you can skip the traffic in Brandywine by taking Galant Green Road to the stop sign and hanging a right and then hanging a left onto (forgot the name of the short road) it'll take you right to dogpatch and go straight and it eventually turns into Horsehead -- stay on that and take 381 all the way up or there's more backroads you can take via Missouri through Earnshaw Drive... its a lot faster. :shrug:

I've been that way a few times, and the only time it's actually been "quicker" is if there's an accident impeding traffic the other/normal route. Otherwise, it's back/country roads that you can't do 65/70 on.