The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) is preparing to temporarily shift traffic along MD 5 (Point Lookout Road) in St. Mary’s County between Camp Brown Road and the Point Lookout State Park entrance Tuesday, August 3, as part of the $24 million project to enhance safety along the roadway.
Part of Governor Larry Hogan’s $1.97 billion investment in highways and bridges, the project widens the 2.2-mile section of MD 5 from south of Camp Brown Road to the entrance to Point Lookout State Park, creating better and safer access for pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers visiting the park. The lane shift is expected to be in place through early 2022.
In recent months, crews have performed construction work that includes pipe installation, erosion and sediment and clearing, milling and stabilizing the outside shoulders of the existing two-lane roadway. Crews widened the existing shoulder by four feet to maintain two travel lanes throughout construction. The widening allows the lane shift so that crews can work along the southbound travel lane. The overall project also includes installation of a 2,800-foot-long hiker-biker path from the Point Lookout Park Ranger station to the causeway, and environmental mitigation and restoration measures.
Portable variable message signs are providing advance notification of the upcoming traffic shift, and construction barrels will guide motorists through the work zone. MDOT SHA’s contractor Corman Kokosing Construction Company of Annapolis Junction is performing the work. Customers with questions about this project may contact the MDOT SHA District 5 office at 410-841-1000 or toll-free at 1-800-331-5603. Drivers should remain alert for equipment, work crews and changing traffic patterns.
MDOT SHA works hard to maintain safe traffic mobility in work zones for our crews as well as our customers. Drivers need to stay alert, focus on driving and look for reduced speed limits. Slow down and be alert in construction zones to help ensure our teams get home safely to their families. For real time traffic conditions, visit www.md511.org or chart.maryland.gov.
Work being performed as part of the project includes:
- transforming the current 10-foot-wide roadway lanes to 11-foot-wide lanes.
- adding 6- to 8-foot-wide shoulders in each direction.
- installing a 2,800-foot-long hiker-biker path from the Point Lookout Park Ranger station to the causeway.
- performing environmental mitigation and restoration.
“Roadway rehabilitation and widening along this stretch of MD 5 will help reduce the potential for crashes,” MDOT SHA Administrator Tim Smith said. “We are replacing deteriorated asphalt that created unsafe driving conditions with paved shoulders and providing a smoother driving surface. There will also be a wider roadway to better accommodate large recreational vehicles and emergency responders.”
Camp Brown Road, to Point Lookout State Park
