Commissioners approve MDOT priorities letter, keep Thomas Johnson Bridge top request

The St. Mary’s County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday to approve the county’s FY2026 Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) priorities letter and authorized the commissioner president to sign and transmit it to MDOT.

County Transportation Director Jim Gotch told the board the county kept its established list of projects largely unchanged because state funding “hasn’t come through,” and because MDOT is changing how it scores and accepts project requests. “We really haven't changed much because the funding hasn't come through from the state of Maryland,” Gotch said.

The letter keeps the Thomas Johnson Bridge as the county’s No. 1 priority, Gotch said, a project the county has prioritized since the early 2000s. The packet presented to commissioners also listed the Maryland Route 5 improvements (from Great Mills Road toward Indian Bridge Road), a second northbound lane on Patuxent Boulevard, and corridor work from Thomas Drive to Stark Drive. Gotch said the Metropolitan Planning Organization and State Highway appear to be moving to restore funding for the MD-5 project.

Commissioners asked for details about the MD-5 project alignment and whether shelters and bus-stop improvements requested by the board had been incorporated into the priorities list. Gotch said some changes had been made in response to commissioner input but the overall letter follows the county’s historical submittal.

A motion to approve the priorities letter passed without recorded opposition; commissioners authorized the commissioner president to sign and forward the letter to MDOT.

The county staff said next year MDOT will require digital submission through a form on the agency’s website, and that the county has time to amend the priorities before final submission if necessary. The letter will be transmitted to MDOT Secretary Pete Rahn (spelling and post as in staff materials).