Committee shortens Devil’s Tree Jump turn lane, moves FY27–28 funds to countywide account

On April 2, the Caroline County Transportation Committee approved shortening the planned right‑turn lane on Devil’s Tree Jump Road from about 500 feet to roughly 250 feet and moved related FY27 and FY28 funds into the countywide transportation services account so construction could proceed sooner.

The change was advanced by county staff and adopted by the committee. Rick (Staff member) told the committee the full 500‑foot lane could not be built until fiscal 2028 under the current schedule but that a shorter 250‑foot lane could be funded and built after schools dismiss this summer if the committee reallocated money. "If we can do that, we can fund it," Rick said, citing a countywide balance and an available sum of $9,892 in a countywide line. Rick gave the FY amounts the motion would move: $69,002.49 in fiscal 2027 and $25,003.60 in fiscal 2028.

Committee members discussed whether the shortened lane would be a temporary fix and how it could be extended later. One committee member asked, "Is this going to be a temporary fix? Will we eventually need to go back and extend the turn lane back to the second entry?" Rick said the shorter lane would "do the job it's intended to do" and could be extended later by connecting new construction to the end of the shorter section if funding becomes available.

A motion to approve the scope change (reduce the turn lane length to 250 feet) and to move FY27 and FY28 allocations from the Devil’s Tree Jump project into Countywide Transportation Services passed with committee consent. For the record, the motion specified the amounts to be moved: $69,002.49 (FY27) and $25,003.60 (FY28), and also identified $55,003.91 as sufficient to construct the shorter lane under contract estimates discussed during the meeting. The committee additionally agreed to keep certain FY26 funds in place; staff noted some FY26 funds were not eligible for new construction and could not be transferred.

The committee instructed staff to place the change on the board agenda for authorization and public hearing as part of the six‑year plan advertising. Rick said the affected Devil’s Tree Jump project would be removed from the active list once it is financially closed and that the countywide funds would remain available for future small projects, such as rural‑rustic work or pedestrian improvements.

Speakers quoted or cited in this article spoke during the committee’s agenda item updates and funding discussion. The committee did not record an itemized roll‑call vote in the transcript; committee members indicated unanimous consent to approve the motion.