Van Hollen, Cardin Secure Over $11 Million in Direct Investments for Anne Arundel County and Southern Maryland Community Projects in FY2022 Funding Bill

Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin (both D-Md.) announced that over $11 million in direct federal funding for local projects in Anne Arundel County and across the Southern Maryland region was included within the fiscal year 2022 omnibus funding legislation, which the Senators voted to pass Thursday evening. Overall, the Senators secured over $104 million in federal dollars directly for Maryland in the omnibus. The bill now goes to President Biden to be signed into law. 

“Bringing direct federal investments to our communities helps spur opportunity, create jobs, and grow our economy. Working together with local leaders in Anne Arundel County and the Southern Maryland region, we have identified these projects that will strengthen our communities by modernizing our infrastructure and expanding public transit options,” said Senator Van Hollen, a member of the Appropriations Committee. “We look forward to getting these funds across the finish line and delivering these investments to Southern Maryland.”

“We have worked with local officials and organizations across Anne Arundel County and Sothern Maryland to identify the projects that could benefit from a strong federal partner. Congressionally Directed Spending is one of the best tools to maximize how we use taxpayer dollars in the places it can make a real difference for Maryland and the region,” said Senator Cardin. 

Funding secured by the Senators includes:

• $8 million for infrastructure improvements, including for the Charles-Prince George’s Southern Maryland Rapid Transit (SMRT) Project, MD 4 Corridor and Thomas Johnson Bridge Capacity Improvements, and stormwater management infrastructure in Anne Arundel County
• $2.5 million for community development initiatives, including for the Girl Scouts of Central Maryland Inc., Outdoor Programs and Elktonia/Carr’s Beach, both located in Annapolis
• $610,000 for the Charles County Body Worn Camera Project
• $95,000 for the Mallows Bay Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary Virtual 3-D Paddle Experience

INFRASTRUCTURE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Project Name: Southern Maryland Rapid Transit Project
Project location: Southern Maryland
Applicant: Charles County Department of Planning & Growth
Amount received: $5,000,000
Description: $5 million in Congressionally Directed Spending to support the design, engineering, and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, and secure a Record of Decision for the development of a 19-mile fixed-route, high capacity transit service from the Branch Avenue Metrorail Station in Camp Springs to Waldorf/White Plains. The SMRT transit corridor benefits the resident population of approximately 439,000 with an estimated ridership of 28,000 people in Prince George’s and Charles Counties. This high-capacity transit service will alleviate one of the worst documented commutes in the Country, ignite job growth in Regional Activity Centers, help to correct the jobs imbalance between the western and eastern side of the D.C. metropolitan area, and invigorate the economy of Maryland. As the only region west of the Chesapeake Bay without high-capacity transit, this project is critical in bringing much needed relief to an area that is primarily limited to two constrained highway corridors. Completion of this project will ultimately bring economic and racial equity to this majority-minority region through job creation and job access. The increased employment and property values resulting from rapid transit are projected to expand the tax base by $5 Billion to $6 Billion, which in itself would cover the construction cost of the project.

Project Name: MD 4 Corridor and Thomas Johnson Bridge Capacity Improvements Project
Project location: Solomons, MD
Applicant: Maryland Department of Transportation
Amount received: $1,000,000
Description: Funds will be used to continue the design of St. Mary's County's top priority transportation project, which includes widening sections of MD 4 and replacing the functionally obsolete MD 4 Thomas Johnson Bridge. The completed project will improve safety and capacity for commuters in an increasingly congested corridor, and ensure access to Naval Air Station Patuxent River.

Project Name: Stormwater Management Infrastructure Improvements in Anne Arundel County, MD
Project location: Anne Arundel County, Maryland
Applicant: Anne Arundel County
Amount received: $2,000,000
Description: The funding will provide for the design and construction for stormwater management infrastructure improvements in Patapsco Tidal streams, nearby outfalls and ponds necessary to comply with Federal and State clean water requirements.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, HISTORICAL, & CULTURAL INITIATIVES

Project Name: Girl Scouts of Central Maryland Inc., Outdoor Programs
Project location: Annapolis, MD
Applicant: Girl Scouts of Central Maryland, Inc.
Amount received: $500,000
Description: Funds will be used to renovate Girl Scouts Camp Woodlands in Annapolis to expand access for underserved families and individuals with disabilities while also upgrading storm-water management to protect the shoreline in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

Project Name: Elktonia/Carr’s Beach in Annapolis, MD
Project location: Annapolis, Maryland
Applicant: City of Annapolis, Maryland
Amount received: $2,000,000
Description: Funding will allow the City of Annapolis to implement Park Planning, Resiliency and Development of the last remnant of historic Elktonia/Carr’s Beach, the last of private bayside beaches in use when anti-Black racism denied African Americans access to segregated beaches and facilities. This will follow State-funded land acquisition of the site and will contribute to operating, managing, and preserving a natural, recreational, historical, and cultural resource.

PUBLIC SAFETY

Project Name: Charles County Body Worn Camera Project
Project location: La Plata, MD
Applicant: Charles County
Amount received: $610,000
Description: Funds will be used to implement a Body Worn Camera program and outfit 215 officers with cameras.

CHESAPEAKE BAY AND ENVIRONMENT

Project Name: Mallows Bay – Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary Virtual 3-D Paddle Experience
Project location: Charles County, Maryland
Applicant: National Marine Sanctuary Mallows Bay – Potomac River
Amount received: $95,000
Description: This funding will support the first new National Marine Sanctuary in more than 20 years and allow NOAA to start work on a Virtual 3-D Paddle Experience, similar to experiences present at other designated National Marine Sanctuary sites where visitors can view the nearly 200 Ghost Fleet vessels. This would allow for the use of the collection of high resolution imagery of prominent shipwrecks and ecology for web-enabled visits and create user-driven virtual reality and augmented reality experiences. These experiences would be supplemented by web-enabled interpretative materials that help connect the history, ecology, and generations of local heritage along the Potomac River.