St. Mary's County, METCOM update multi-year road, water and sewer projects including FDR and Town Creek

St. Mary's County and the St. Mary's County Metropolitan Commission on May 20 gave an update on joint capital-improvement projects across the county, outlining timelines, funding sources and next steps for multiple water, sewer, road and pedestrian projects.

The briefing covered several active and planned projects: the FDR Boulevard multi-phase reconstruction (current work on phase 3B from Buckhut Road to Peg Road, with utilities work to follow and estimated completion in summer 2026); South Shangri La/Shangri La waterline replacement and asphalt overlay (waterline phase to begin this summer, DHCD loan funding cited); South Hampton sidewalk, curb and stormwater upgrades with METCOM rehabilitation of water and sewer facilities (design/ procurement moving forward, budgeted FY27); Town Creek and Brenton Bay waterline revitalizations (older undersized 1–2-inch lines to be replaced, 100% design for upcoming phases and bid windows planned for late summer–fall); and several sidewalk, lighting and intersection projects such as Peg Road, FDR trail widening and the Wildwood Boulevard right-turn lane.

Why this matters: many of the neighborhoods discussed were built mid-20th century and staff said replacing undersized mains, adding hydrants and updating drainage will improve service reliability and public-safety response. Several projects anticipate county overlays (new asphalt) after METCOM completes underground work.

Key details and schedules included: the FDR phase 3B contract was awarded to a single contractor to coordinate road and utility work; construction of a traffic signal and an elevated boardwalk are included in the FDR piece; South Shangri La is at 100% design with procurement preparing contract documents and a DHCD loan identified as a funding source for waterline replacements; Town Creek phase 5 (including River Road and adjacent streets) is at 100% design and expected to go to bid late summer/early fall with roughly a one-year construction duration; Brenton Bay phase 1 is at 100% design and final permitting and is expected to go to bid later this year with a similar one-year construction timeline.

Staff responded to commissioner questions about the risk of unexpected underground conditions on older roads, and said prior phases went "fairly well" but cautioned that unknowns can appear when digging in older infrastructure and that staff conducts research before construction. When asked about funding for waterline work on Shangri La, staff identified a DHCD loan. For speed complaints on Wildwood Boulevard, staff said a speed study is underway and that the sheriff's office typically deploys variable-message radar displays after studies are complete.

Speakers at the update included county and METCOM staff who presented maps, phase schedules and photos of completed work, and METCOM board members who attended the joint meeting. Staff also described coordination steps: sharing GIS data, overlaying county road projects with METCOM water/sewer work to reduce repeat pavement cuts, and advance permitting with MDOT for sidewalk retrofits.

Ending: staff said many projects will move into procurement and construction this summer and next year, with county overlays to follow after METCOM work. Commissioners urged continued outreach to northern-county residents about planned projects in that area, and staff noted ongoing right-of-way and easement work remains for some pieces.