College Park Likely to Receive $8.8 Million for Route 1 Redevelopment

College Park is likely to receive long-awaited funding to begin planning the realignment of U.S. Route 1 to ease traffic, create bike lanes and add medians, according to city, county and state officials.

The State Highway Administration confirmed that it has identified $8.8 million of federal funding to conduct the design and engineering phase for part of Baltimore Avenue. The amendment will now go before the region's Transportation Planning Board (TPB).

Officials expect the city to clear this final hurdle easily.

City Councilman Patrick Wojahn (Dist. 1), who serves on the TPB, said the board rarely denies projects.

"Sometimes there are conflicts when the environmental groups come out against it … but I don’t see that happening," Wojahn said. "It’s pretty definite this will pass the TPB.”

County Councilman Eric Olson (Dist. 3), who is also on the board, echoed the confidence.

"I don’t anticipate any issues with that … Typically they get approved," he said.

The three-phase re-development plan was submitted to the state years ago, they said. The $8.8 million will fund the first part of the plan: design and engineering between Campus Drive and Route 193.

"A large part of it is to try to make Route 1 more pedestrian friendly and bike friendly," Olson said.

He also said the reconstruction will help with traffic flow and making Route 1 more aesthetic, "which will in turn help with economic development," he said.

The funding was a welcomed surprise, especially because it was originally expected in 2009.

Maryland Sen. James Rosapepe (Dist. 21), who lives in Berwyn and drives U.S. Route 1 everyday, said the project was removed from the budget upon the recession.

But "we just kept pushing and pushing and pushing," he said.

In order to move on to the planning board, the funding package had to be approved first by the state's secretary of transportation. Patch did not hear back from the secretary before publication of this article.

The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, which oversees the Transportation Planning Board, would not discuss meeting items until the agenda is made public Thursday. TPB will meet July 20.