Route 4 interchange gets bundle for reconstruction

Business Leaders Announce New Mixed-Use Development
Near Andrews Air Force Base And The Capital Beltway
Route 4 interchange gets bundle for reconstruction

FORESTVILLE --- Demonstrating the importance of transportation to Maryland's communities, businesses and quality of life, Governor Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr., last Wednesday, August 25, 2004, announced the State will invest $73 million to build a new interchange at MD 4 (Pennsylvania Avenue) and Suitland Parkway / Presidential Parkway. The existing intersection is insufficient to handle the current traffic flow.  Governor Ehrlich directed the Maryland Department of Transportation's State Highway Administration (SHA) to begin design immediately on the new interchange to support economic development near the Presidential Corporate Center and to improve access to Andrews Air Force Base. Construction on the new interchange would be underway by 2008. The Governor also announced a $1.5 million pedestrian improvement safety project along MD 4 between Walters Lane and Parkland Drive just inside the Capital Beltway.

"Key commercial real estate developments have been stalled for many years because of this bottleneck at MD 4 and Suitland Parkway," said Governor Ehrlich. "Today is a great day for Prince George's County! This $73 million interchange will break this bottleneck for thousands of commuters and open up incredible economic development opportunities for Maryland and the entire Washington region. We are making transportation that works for all Marylanders, thanks to Senate President Miller and Senator Currie who supported my transportation funding package."

These improvements are made possible by the passage of Governor Ehrlich's transportation funding package, which provides an additional $237 million annually to address needed safety and congestion relief improvements in every region of the State. It provides Maryland's first increase in transportation funding in more than a decade. Over the next six years, the Ehrlich-Steele Administration will be able to invest a total of $11.5 billion to upgrade Maryland's transportation network.

"We thank Governor Ehrlich for making this project possible," Senator Ulysses Currie. "The new MD 4 interchange will help to unlock the economic potential of Prince George's County."

Nearly 74,000 vehicles per day travel through the MD 4/Suitland Parkway Intersection, creating severe congestion, especially during rush hours. MD 4 at Suitland/Presidential Parkway now handles 50 percent more traffic that it was designed to carry.

"Today, the intersection at MD 4 and Suitland Parkway is a choke point for the thousands of commuters moving everyday between Prince George's County and Washington, D.C." said Congressman Albert R. Wynn. "I am quite pleased that we have been able to deliver the federal highway dollars necessary to move this project forward. With these federal funds, and the state funds announced today, we can replace the intersection with a modern interchange that will relieve traffic congestion, increase safety and support economic development in Prince George's County."

Economic development is currently limited in the area due to congestion along MD 4. The proposed interchange will replace the current signalized intersection with ramp movements and two roundabouts at each end of a new bridge that will span MD 4. The completed interchange will significantly increase traffic flow along MD 4 and Suitland/Presidential Parkway and support economic development.

"Pennsylvania Avenue is a major artery throughout the County, and District 6 has worked very hard to forward those projects that will improve life for Prince George's County residents," said Prince George's County Council Vice-Chairman Samuel H. Dean. "The new development in the area will provide our citizens with employment and new possibilities."

Following the Governor's announcement of the new interchange, NAI The Michael Companies and Legacy Development Partners LLC announced a new mixed-use development project called Rosewood. The proposed Rosewood project consists of approximately 477 acres along Pennsylvania Avenue at Suitland Parkway. The property is located less than nine miles from the US Capitol and about one mile outside the Beltway in Prince George's County. The proposed multi-billion dollar, mixed-use project will provide a substantial increase in the county's job base and reduce the need for many in Prince George's County's well-educated workforce to commute out of the county into other jurisdictions. The focus on employment will create an environment that is designed to attract major corporate employers to the county.

"We appreciate the investment the State is making in this critical infrastructure improvement," said NAI The Michael Companies Board Chairman Kenneth H. Michael. "Regional traffic problems have limited the development of the Presidential Corporate Center for years. This new investment will release the development to go forward and be a new economic engine for Prince George's County."

Kwame Jackson, Chief Executive Officer of the Legacy Development Partners LLC, says the Rosewood development is his first signature deal since appearing on the hit television show "The Apprentice" with Donald Trump. He describes the Rosewood development as a new "urban city center" designed to cater to residents, businesses and visitors who value the amenities of an urban setting within a suburban location. Rosewood will be a destination location in Prince George's County that provides a vibrant environment to live, work and play.

"This is an extraordinary collaborative effort between Legacy Development Partners, Rosewood City Group and NAI Michael Companies, Inc.," said Mr. Jackson. "Since the show ended, I have wanted to make sure that I associated myself with a project that exemplifies entrepreneurship to the highest level and contributes to the economic development of the community. It is my hope that Rosewood will represent the first step in my efforts to create a legacy of large-scale African American entrepreneurship for generations to come."

In addition to the interchange project, SHA will begin a pedestrian safety initiative approximately two miles north of the MD 4/Suitland Parkway Intersection. Currently pedestrians are crossing, mid-block, four lanes of traffic that is moving at a posted speed of 55 miles per hour. An eight-foot reinforced, aesthetically pleasing concrete barrier, ornamental fence and paved hiker/biker trail will be constructed along MD 4 between Walters Lane and Parkland Drive. This project will deter pedestrians from mid-block crossings and guide them to marked crosswalks and bus stops. This project will be completed in late fall 2005, weather permitting.

"Safety is our number one priority," said Transportation Secretary Robert L. Flanagan. "Our safety, streetscape and community enhancement projects are innovative, dynamic and tailored to meet the needs of each individual community. Taking precautions to protect pedestrians in District Heights and around the State is paramount."