Route 175 Construction Close to Completion

The heavy construction on Maryland Route 175 may be finished within weeks, meaning the major thoroughfare will finally become a five-lane highway, according to a spokesman for the State Highway Administration.

For months, lane closings and construction work have slowed traffic flow, but the “striping” of lanes shows that the project will be done soon, said SHA district liaison Bob Rager.

In April, Patch wrote of how the , Joe Rutter of BRS/EGGERL, to widen the highway from the Baltimore-Washington Parkway to Rockenbach Road. Rutter and his business are privately producing and financing the project after Anne Arundel County declared there was no funding for the road expansion.

Rutter told Patch in April that the need for widening Route 175 came from the dramatic influx of people to Fort Meade from BRAC.

SHA spokesman Rager said he didn't know exactly when the construction would be finished, and that some procedures require better weather before completion.

Some of the tools used to complete roads require that it be above 40 degrees, Rager said. “They should be able to get it done pretty soon, though.”

The final product will be a five-lane highway with two lanes heading east, two lanes heading west and one “turn lane” throughout the road. 

There are plans to widen Route 175 and upgrade intersections all the way to Maryland Route 170 in Odenton, but there is currently , not construct them.

Earlier this year, the transportation coordinator for the Fort Meade Regional Growth Management Committee said , but has seen less than $150 million in public money.