County Says It’s ‘Back to Work’ on Muddy Creek Intersection

The Central Avenue/Muddy Creek intersection in Edgewater is what Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works officials have called, “a failed intersection.” Something that pretty much any person who lives, works or visits the Mayo peninsula knows all too well.

Central Avenue at Muddy Creek road work is back on track.

A $5.6 million project to improve the intersection was approved in 2001, but lingered in political limbo until it was funded with local and state funds in 2010. Roadwork got underway and was set to be completed in October of 2012.

The project should improve the intersection by widening Central Avenue all the way from Central Middle School and adding additional turn lanes to both Central Avenue (MD-214) and Muddy Creek Road (MD-468). In addition, there will be upgraded signaling plus improved access and safety lanes for bicycles.

As things got underway in late 2010, residents of the peninsula braced themselves for additional traffic slowdowns during construction. But for much of 2011, it seemed that work had stalled.

Mayo residents began seeing weeks go by without progress. Soon it was summer and then fall and little on the project seemed to be advancing.

There was concern that maybe the county had forgotten about Mayo’s failed intersection and its upgrades.

Project manager Kathy Sharp from the Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works provided citizens with an update. As part of the news, Sharp said that delays have pushed the completion date back to Spring 2013.

Sharp said delays have three causes:

• Relocating utilities. Poles in the intersection hit a bureaucratic tangle. Verizon recently completed the necessary work.
• Unforeseen underground conditions. Design modifications were necessary because soil conditions were different from what engineers expected. New designs were approved by State Highway Administration (SHA) in December and the necessary modifications were completed in January.
• Wet ground conditions stalled road work. Phase I road work will continue in April as conditions improve.

Sharp said that work is expected to resume in mid-April, with road widening work ongoing. Day and night work should be expected.