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Return‑to‑office increases traffic; county, state and Navy outline road and gate upgrades
Summary
County and base officials reported higher daily trips on local roads since the return to office, described ongoing FDR Boulevard construction and sidewalk/DCIP work to improve access to Gates 1 and 2, and outlined short‑term gate staffing and auxiliary security measures to ease morning congestion.
County and NAS Patuxent River officials told St. Mary's County commissioners April 29 that traffic has increased with more personnel returning to on‑site work and that several road and gate projects are intended to relieve congestion.
Mr. Goss, director of the county Department of Public Works and Transportation, outlined FDR Boulevard construction and traffic counts. He said average daily trips (both directions combined) on nearby corridors peaked at about 63,000 in 2019, dropped to 52,000 in 2020, rebounded and now collectively exceed pre‑COVID totals on FDR and Route 235 combined. In one section on FDR Boulevard behind the Walmart, he reported about 21,000 trips per day.
Goss said Phase 3B of FDR Boulevard is under construction and that the segment to Buck Hewitt Road should open in a little over a year. He also described a planned signal at Peg Road (to be operated by the state) and long‑range projects including a Telagi extension under design and a potential phase 4 of FDR Boulevard that is not yet funded.
County staff also described a Defense Community Infrastructure Program (DCIP) sidewalk project that completed a continuous sidewalk along the north side of Route 235 between Gates 1 and 2 and linked to the county’s planned 3‑Notch Trail Section 7; county staff said the sidewalks enable pedestrian and bicycle access to the gate and museum without using the highway.
NAS Patuxent River representatives described operational responses at the gates to handle higher morning traffic, including partial activation of an auxiliary security force composed of sailors assigned to sentry duty, and opening or extending Gate 3 hours to provide alternate departure points; base speakers said those measures, combined with additional lanes and staffing, have reduced queue times in the morning.
On child care, a base representative said the installation operates three child development centers that are full and that the Navy was not expanding on‑base child care at this time; local developers seeking to add child care capacity off base were encouraged to provide demand studies to justify new facilities.
No formal actions were taken at the meeting; presenters encouraged continued interagency coordination on traffic signals, design funding and gate operations.
