Wicomico County Breaks Ground on Barren Creek Road Project After 10-Year Closure

WICOMICO COUNTY, Md. — Wicomico County officials broke ground Wednesday morning on the Barren Creek Road project in Mardela Springs, marking a step forward in efforts to reopen a road that has been closed for 10 years.

The road washed out in 2016 and has remained closed since then. County officials and community members gathered Wednesday to mark the start of the project. County Executive Julie Giordano said the road’s closure has affected residents, drivers and farmers in the rural community.

“They deserve safe, reliable infrastructure,” Giordano said

She said the project is about more than repairing the road, “It’s about restoring a connection, fulfilling a commitment and finally delivering something that this community has waited decades to see,” Giordano said.

Giordano said addressing long-standing infrastructure needs was one of her priorities when she took office.

“Barren Creek was certainly one of those projects,” she added, “projects like this don’t happen overnight. They take funding, cooperation, coordination and, most importantly, persistence.”

Throughout the years, county officials received letters from residents and local organizations about the importance of reopening the road.

Giordano said those messages included concerns from the sheriff’s office and school board, “So many community members have commented and written, ‘I can’t wait for this road.”

Not everyone is satisfied with how long the project has taken. Jim Adkins, a District 2 County Council candidate who lives near the road, questioned why construction did not begin sooner and raised concerns about the rising cost.

“Just 10 years ago, this road was scheduled to be put back in between $600,000 and $800,000,” Adkins said.

He said the estimated cost has since increased to nearly $3 million.

“Why was this road not put in before the county had the permits? The county had the funding; the county had the plans and the drawings,” Adkins said. “They could have started this project four years ago, and they didn’t.”

Giordano said the state has contributed to the project, helping the county move forward with the work. She also said the county’s roads department will be able to complete the work in-house, which she said will help save money.

“What’s even greater is that we’re at a point in time where our roads department is going to be able to do this in-house,” Giordano said.

She also thanked the state for its support, “I have to give a shoutout to the state for recognizing the importance of this project,” she said.

Giordano said the groundbreaking represents cooperation among local officials, state partners and community members.

“You have council working with the executive, working with the state,” she said. “That’s how it’s supposed to work.”

County Councilmember of District 2, James Winn said he was surprised when he learned the project would move forward. He received a phone call about the approval two days after a forum at Salisbury University.

“I got a little emotional about it because I absolutely did not think this was going to happen,” Winn said.

Giordano said the county hopes to reopen Barren Creek Road in late spring, depending on weather and construction progress.

“If everything goes accordingly and we have a nice winter upon us, we’re hoping between five and six months,” she said.