The Eyes of Paint Branch - Fall 2001 Newsletter
Volume: 7 Issue: 2

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SHA Studying Potential Widening of Route 198

The State Highway Administration (SHA) has started studying how to widen Rt. 198 between Rt. 29 and Rt.28. While this widening has been envisioned by the Cloverly and Fairland Master Plans, both plans recommended limited right-of-way for the widening to retain the rural character of the road and the surrounding communities.

Many members of the citizen focus group for this study, however, point out that the study seems to be biased in the direction of a much more substantial road than envisioned in the Master Plans. The Fairland Master Plan Citizen Advisory Committee has written to the SHA and Federal agencies that the current Purpose and Need Statement envisions a road that would become part of a regional East-West connector and therefore an illegal segmentation of the ICC.

Eyes of Paint Branch shares these concerns and has written to the SHA and Federal agencies pointing out the very sensitive nature of the wetlands in the headwaters areas of the Right and Left Forks of Paint Branch that lie just south of Rt. 198 along this corridor. Our last public walk in July visited one of these wetlands, the Thompson Seeps, which harbors a significant population of the State threatened plant, Featherbells. We will be following this study very closely as it proceeds.