SHA looks to improve road conditions on Rt. 404 Alt. and 303

Much needed upgrades may be on the way for the roads of Queen Anne and Hillsboro.

The State Highway Administration is looking to make changes to Route 404 Alternate and Route 303.

“the ultimate goal of the project is system preservation.”, said Moreshwar Kulkarni, an SHA project team member.”Considering the interest of all the stakeholders involved, we tried tried to accommodate everyone.”

The Route 404 Alternate and Route 303 projects will include improvements and installations of sidewalks, curbs, and gutters, resurfacing of the pavement, a replacement bridge over the Tuckahoe Creek, and a much needed revamp of the current Queen Anne drainage system.

“We had a lot of problems in town with drainage issues.”, said Queen Anne Mayor Randy Etsy, “We started having problems where people going into the driveway of their homes, we’re falling through.”

Right now there’s no timetable on when the projects will start.

We’re told this projects will remain in the design phase until mid-2017.

Meaning they need final approval and funds must be granted before the construction begins.

The State Highway Administration also tells us that progress is being made on Route 404 in it’s Widening Project.

The SHA is looking to get the Route 404 Alternate to 309 portion on the fast-track and have it completed by next year.

That would then pave the way for the rest of the project, which were told may cause a temporary headache for those living close to the highway.

“Probably gonna be a bigger impact of course during the summertime. We’re gonna have a lot of people come across the Bay Bridge and come down to the beaches. They’ll want to use 404.”, said SHA spokesperson Bob Rager.

Rager also tells us that the SHA hopes to wrap up the remainder of dualization project in about a year and a half.