Queen Anne's County officials yesterday approved $150,000 to develop a plan they hope will untie some of Kent Island's most vexing traffic knots. 

The Board of County Commissioners agreed to hire Kimley-Horn and Associates to complete the second phase of the Routes 50/301 and 18 Transportation Plan. Once the Annapolis engineering firm completes the plan, the commissioners hope to have specific fixes available. 

Del. Wheeler Baker, who has long said the commissioners should not approve any new developments until they get a transportation plan in place, commended the action in Centreville. 

"I think that's money well spent," the Kent Island resident said. "I live in one of the congested areas and it just gets the best of me sometimes. I think this makes all the sense in the world." 

Earlier this year, Kimley-Horn studied traffic counts and met with county officials and residents to determine areas where Route 50 poorly connects with Route 18 such as with ramps or intersections. The engineers also came up with proposed locations for additional overpasses of Route 50 and connector roads on either side to improve local traffic circulation. 

A few ideas the firm has proposed to improve these areas include two additional overpasses over Route 50 and connector roads from Route 8 to Thompson Creek Service, Thompson Creek Road to Cox Neck Road, and Love Point Road to Castle Marina Road. 

The firm plans to present more specific plans for road improvements to a "technical working group" made up of county and state road officials. After that, it plans to hold four public meetings early next year to present the plans to the public, the Planning Commission and the Board of County Commissioners. 

County officials believe the plan, in addition to easing traffic congestion, will help the county plan for future road improvement costs made necessary by new growth. 

"We will be in a position to more accurately appropriate costs for new road improvements resulting from growth over the next the 20 years," said Todd Mohn, county deputy director of public works. 

Stan Ruddie, a Kent Island resident who successfully fought to keep Wal-Mart off Kent Island because of its traffic impact, said a transportation plan is sorely needed. He especially liked the proposal to create a connector road across Cox Creek. 

"That is definitely needed," he said. 

Nevertheless, he said he believes the commissioners, all of whom lost in the September primary elections, should leave decisions on controlling growth to the incoming board. 

"I think, in general, that the three lame-duck commissioners are being Clintonesque in their decisions over the past month," Mr. Ruddie said. "They really should be deferring to the next board that is coming in just a few weeks." 

Mr. Baker, however, said he thinks a transportation plan is needed regardless of whether it is "now or in the foreseeable future." 

Just one week after being voted out of office, the current board -- made up of Commissioners Marlene Davis, D-Queenstown, John McQueeney, R-Stevensville, and George O'Donnel, D-Queenstown -- approved a contract with K. Hovnanian, the developers of the controversial 1,350-home Four Seasons on Kent Island, which would require the developer to pay more than $20 million for improvements to county roads, water, sewer and emergency services.

mmohsberg@capitalgazette.com 

Published October 02, 2002, The Capital, Annapolis, Md. 
Copyright © 2002 The The Capital, Annapolis, Md.