Maryland Department of Transportation and State Highway Administration officials told the St. Mary's County Commission that work to advance a replacement for the Thomas Johnson (Solomons) Bridge is moving into project development, but a full replacement remains years from construction.

State Highway Administrator Will Pines said the project now has an earmark that has been obligated and that the Coast Guard has provided a letter allowing entry into permitting; SHA is procuring a solar‑powered mast height measuring system to capture vessel heights under the bridge and is conducting bathymetric surveys in the river. Pines said the vessel measurements could allow the team to reduce vertical clearance requirements and thereby lower structure cost. The draft navigation impact report is projected for 2026, Pines said, and the Coast Guard preliminary determination is expected to follow.

“These studies will provide evidence to the Coast Guard,” Pines said, describing the goal of refining the bridge clearance and span design. He said the work could lead to a Section 9 Coast Guard permit after further engineering and that subsurface borings would follow if funds remain for that phase.

Local officials emphasized the bridge's regional importance and traffic volumes. Commissioners and presenters cited historical and recent daily traffic counts across the bridge: about 12,900 trips per day in 1990; roughly 27,000 in 2007; a peak of about 29,342 in 2016; 27,545 trips in 2024; and more recently “30,000‑plus trips a day” during a post‑pandemic return‑to‑work surge, according to the figures cited during the meeting. Presenters noted that the Solomons Bridge is the only practical short detour for many regional trips and that the Benedict Bridge detour would add about 75 minutes to a typical 10‑minute trip.

Pines and other MDOT staff said current inspections and load ratings show the bridge meets present load requirements and is not restricted by weight limits; SHA officials described the bridge’s 2016 safety rating of 43 out of 100 and a 2024 condition described in the meeting as “fair.” Pines said routine preservation work will continue to keep the bridge safe until replacement can be funded and built.

Officials discussed funding options. MDOT representatives said tolling is one financing option but noted local officials have indicated public resistance to tolling for a county‑to‑county crossing. Pines also cited federal grant programs for “monumental” bridge investments as potential funding sources; MDOT has an earmark obligated and will pursue additional grants and project‑development steps.

Commissioners asked whether an earlier NEPA study would require restarting the environmental process. Karen Fiasco, SHA deputy district engineer, said projects of this scale typically require a NEPA reevaluation rather than a full restart, to update traffic and background data as the project advances.

MDOT officials gave a tentative schedule of studies and permitting: vessel measurement and bathymetric surveys in the near term, a draft navigation impact report in 2026, and subsequent Coast Guard determinations and engineering steps that precede design and construction. Officials stressed the work is intended to produce “well informed next steps” but said full replacement will require larger federal and state funding decisions and multi‑year planning.