Previous Studies

US 301 Transportation Study Task Force (1993-1996)

In 1993, a 76-member Task Force was appointed by then-Governor Schaefer and comprised of civic association leaders, environmental advocates and agencies, business representatives, and elected officials. The Task Force spent three years studying the relationships among transportation, environmental resources, land use, and economic development and recommended further study of a variety of highway and transit alternatives, land use options, and other initiatives in the region. The locations of many of the recommendations were not precisely defined in order to permit flexibility when future roadway or transit alignments were studied. In its advisory capacity, the Task Force determined the issues that the Maryland Department of Transportation's State Highway Administration (SHA) would formally study during the Project Planning Stage.

US 301 Policy Oversight Committee (1997 - 2001)

The US 301 Policy Oversight Committee (POC) was created by then Governor Parris Glendening in 1997. It was comprised of State and local elected officials and State Cabinet Secretaries. The focus of this group was on the immediate needs of the US 301 Corridor in Prince George's and Charles Counties. It was designed to build on the momentum established by the US 301 Task Force and assist in implementing the Task Force recommendations.

The committee was supported by several subcommittees that addressed specific issues and areas:

• Corridor Theme Subcommittee
• Corridor Preservation Subcommittee
• Transportation Demand Management Subcommittee
• Jobs/Housing Balance Subcommittee
• US 301/MD 5/MD 202 Transportation/Land Use Plan Subcommittee
• MD 197 Land Use and Transportation Subcommittee
• Improved Coordination Subcommittee
• Fiber Optics Subcommittee

Some of the accomplishments of the POC included:

• Increased Bus Service (both in terms of the area of coverage and frequency)
• MTA in consultation with Prince George's and Charles Counties is preparing a Transit Services Staging Plan to identify and begin preservation of a light rail/express bus alignment in the MD 5 and US 301 Corridor
• MTA completed a MD 5 park-and-ride study for Prince George's and Charles Counties.
• Improved highway safety in the corridor by making traffic lights more noticeable and installing red-light running cameras
• Helped develop a plan to accelerate and coordinate emergency response and crash clean-up actions
• Corrected Bowie "Wal-Mart weave" problem
• Constructed HOV lanes on US 50 from US 301 to I-495
• Improved existing park-and-ride lots (MD 197/MD 4) and identified future locations
• Prince George's County improved Mitchellville Road
• Protected Land to Meet Future Needs
• Prepared and adopted access management policies.
• Prepared Corridor Preservation Strategies - MDOT, Prince George's and Charles Counties
• The General Assembly enacted legislation which enabled Charles County to create a reservation program similar to that of Prince George's County
• Prepared and distributed corridor preservation brochures to residents and businesses.
• Established new procedures for coordinating development reviews
• Prepared US 301/MD 4/ MD 202 Future Interchange Plan. Prince George's County planning and public works staff worked with SHA to develop interchange design alternatives for US 301/MD 4/ MD 202 that fully integrate current and future land use. The POC selected two land use/transportation options for consideration in SHA's project planning phase.
• Prepared a concept plan to connect MD 6 in La Plata to US 301

US 301 Transportation Studies (1998-2001)

As a result of the work of the Task Force, the US 301 Transportation Studies, which analyzed transportation strategies in both the US 301 Northern and Southern corridors, were initiated. The US 301 Northern Corridor ran from the MD 5 Interchange at T.B. to US 50 in Bowie. Its Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) received a Record of Decision in 2001.

The Southern Corridor ran on US 301 from the Governor Nice Bridge to the US 301/MD 5 Interchange at T.B., and on MD 5 from the T.B. interchange to the Capital Beltway (I-495). It was studied as several sub-corridors based on preliminary purpose and needs established by the US 301 Task Force. Because the project was placed on hold in 2001, no preferred transportation alternatives were identified and no formal recommendations were promoted by SHA.

Local Citizens Advisory Committees

Charles County CAC information

The Charles County Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) for the Waldorf Bypass/Upgrade Study, a thirteen-member panel which included a diverse group of citizens living in the Waldorf area, was established in 1998 by the Charles County Commissioners following the conclusion of the US 301 Task Force. The goal of the CAC was to evaluate all of the factors and issues associated with the project as well as examine the proposed alternatives. Both State Highway Administration (SHA) and Charles County staff members were involved in the CAC process as part of the US 301 Southern Corridor Transportation Study. The group thoroughly considered all of the issues associated with improvements along US 301 as well as the Eastern and Western Waldorf Bypasses. While considering all of the factors, including the likelihood that selecting a bypass alternative would not receive the necessary federal and state environmental approvals, the CAC was tasked with making a recommendation to the Charles County Commissioners on the best alternative for the County. In a very close vote, the CAC decided that the best alternative was to upgrade US 301 with Alternative 3 (the proposed freeway with service roads through the main part of Waldorf). Although this option was extremely impactive to the business community, it allowed traffic to operate in a free flowing manner along US 301 and provided access to the remaining businesses from service roads. The CAC reported their findings back to the County Commissioners who held two public hearings to garner feedback from the citizens of Charles County on this recommendation. Based on this feedback and the impacts to the business community associated with Alternative 3, the County Commissioners decided that Upgrade Alternative 1A was the appropriate selection with the caveat that land be preserved for a future western bypass in Charles County.Please see the 2002 Charles County Comprehensive Transportation Network Strategy for additional information.

Prince George's County CAC information

The Prince George’s County CAC was developed via resolution in 1999. It consisted of a panel of seven members of the community and was also tasked with evaluating alternatives to determine which one would be the most beneficial to the residents of Prince George's County. Through evaluation of alternatives, reviewing the master plan and other studies that were presented by SHA and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) and a joint meeting with the Charles County CAC, the Prince George's County CAC determined that the upgrade of US 301 was in the best interest of the County. The Prince George's County CAC recommended to the Prince George's County Council that:

• SHA fund the Surratts Road and TB interchanges for design and construction;
• Prince George's County should reject any reference to the Western Bypass and have it removed from the Subregion V Master Plan when it is updated;
• Endorse the upgrade of MD 5/US 301 south of TB with the least amount of impact to the existing businesses;
• Any US 301 bypass connections should occur south of the Prince George's County line (ie: in Charles County) and;
• Prince George's County should give priority status to planning a rail linkage to the Green Line and request Charles County to act in concert with Prince George’s County and the Maryland Department of Transportation.

The Prince George's County Council passed resolution CR-72-2001 adopting these recommendations. See the Prince George's County Resolution.