Garver update: Stribling Road redesign cut to three lanes, roundabouts added; construction estimated around mid-2028

Shannon Wells of engineering firm Garver told the board during a quarterly briefing that supplemental agreement No. 2 revised the Stribling Road design from five lanes to three and added a roundabout at McMillan Road.

Wells said the three-lane cross-section will use graded shoulders and open ditches rather than curb-and-gutter for most of the corridor so future expansion to five lanes would be more straightforward; she added that curb-and-gutter will remain at roundabouts for traffic calming. "The previous five lane design included a curb and gutter road section, but this design approach will include a graded shoulder open ditch section," she said.

The engineering team plans to undercut and backfill widespread areas of unsuitable material sized to the five-lane width so any later widening would not require redoing that remediation. "That part of the challenge to the project will be behind the county should the expansion come into play in the future," Wells said.

Design work is underway: Garver has drawn the roundabout footprint for New Millen Road, started 3D roadway and storm-drainage modeling, and is developing preliminary drawings. Wells said most near-term progress over the next three months will be design-related, with survey, right-of-way and utility coordination continuing in parallel.

On property impacts, Wells said the parcel list rose from roughly 30–32 parcels under the prior plan to about 40 after the redesign. She said the McMillan roundabout will add three to four parcels and access changes tied to Hartfield will add a few more. For parcels unchanged by the redesign, she said title work, plats and deeds are substantially complete.

Wells described outreach and coordination with agencies and nearby stakeholders. In early May Garver met with Hathaway Lake to introduce the project and discuss impacts to that entrance; she called that meeting successful. Garver also met at MDOT headquarters with several MDOT staff and two Hartfield board members to evaluate access options. "The takeaway was that at Wendy Lane...we'll construct a new connection, which will be unrestricted," Wells said, referring to left and right turns at the new connection. She added the existing entrance will be modified to a two-lane right-in/right-out, and that MDOT approved in principle a third entrance to 463 that would be right-in/right-out only. Wells noted there are drainage challenges to the third-entrance option that she and staff are continuing to work through.

On schedule, Wells said she sees a construction notice to proceed in early June 2028 and described construction as "about a 2 year project." She also used the phrasing, "But as of now, June 28 to June 30 is what I would estimate," when summarizing timing, language the board may seek to clarify as design and permitting advance.

During questions, a board member asked who owns the parcels at 463 tied to the new connection; Wells said the Hartfield homeowners association holds parcels on each side of that connection and that the project will require acquisition rather than an immediate donation. The board member asked for confirmation of roundabout locations; Wells confirmed two roundabouts on the Stribling project, one at McMillan and another near Camden Crossing, describing the Camden Crossing location as a traditional three-way roundabout.

Wells closed by saying the team will continue design refinement and right-of-way work and will provide updates as the schedule and environmental/drainage analyses are completed. The meeting then moved to the next presenter, Jay with Michael Baker, who will discuss the eastern segment of Stribling Road.