Bypass bumped as Garrett County’s top priority

County now giving favor to North-South connector

Megan Miller Cumberland Times-News

OAKLAND — Garrett County has joined Allegany in naming the North-South highway corridor as its top priority for transportation project funding.

Specifically, the Garrett County Commission Tuesday moved the upgrade of U.S. Route 219 to No. 1 on the county’s short list of projects in the Maryland Consolidated Transportation Program, bumping the only other project, the construction of the Oakland bypass, to No. 2.

Jim Hinebaugh, representing the Greater Cumberland Committee, advocated the change before the commission.

“We came to the conclusion that it’s a little bit awkward for the Greater Cumberland Committee to be lobbying for this as the top project for the three states if this isn’t the top project individually for the three states,” he said.

The proposed North-South highway corridor would connect U.S. Route 219 in Pennsylvania with Interstate 68 in Maryland, extending down U.S. Route 220 through West Virginia to connect with the Corridor H highway project.

Garrett’s portion is the area of U.S. 219 between I-68 and the Pennsylvania state line.

Hinebaugh, who also serves as director of the Garrett County Department of Economic Development, said leaving the project at No. 2 on Garrett’s list could give the state “an out” to say the project isn’t a funding priority.

But the move wasn’t without opposition. Jay Moyer, superintendent of the Garrett County Roads Department, said he thinks the Oakland bypass would be a greater benefit to area residents, and he fears a change of status would harm the project.

“I’ve argued many times for the bypass to stay the top priority and seen projects that weren’t even on the list get funded and move forward,” Moyer said. “My position is that we’ve worked too hard for too long to get to where we are. If this would give Gov. O’Malley or the legislature the excuse they need to ditch this project … my fear is that we’d fall right back down to where we were.”

The Oakland bypass would run from about the intersection of U.S. Route 219 and state Route 135 on the east edge of town to reconnect with U.S. 219 north of the Walmart store.

Hinebaugh said the Oakland bypass has received little support at the state level, while the North-South highway corridor has received state and federal attention and is supported by a tri-state lobby effort.

“The difference is that there’s no support to build the bypass anytime soon,” he said. “I’m not suggesting that we ditch the bypass or don’t support the bypass. I’m just suggesting that we support this project that does have state support, tri-state support.”

John Nelson, director of the Department of Planning and Land Development, pointed out that the Oakland bypass is further along in the planning process, and is nearly construction-ready. But there are no state funds on the horizon to get construction under way, probably for several years, and the project would rely almost entirely on state money.

The North-South highway project, on the other hand, would be funded almost entirely by federal dollars, with a 20 percent state match.

State Sen. George Edwards, who attended the meeting along with Delegate Wendell Beitzel, said the climate in Annapolis could mean no funding anytime soon for major highway projects in Garrett County.

“The thrust now … is for mass transit, so other areas are fighting for more money for mass transit systems, and we’re going to see even less,” Edwards said. “With this 219 project you’re working with other states, which doesn’t happen very often on major projects. You ought to use it while you have it.”

Only two of the three commissioners were present for Tuesday’s meeting. Commissioner Denny Glotfelty, who is battling cancer, was absent for medical reasons.

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