ANNAPOLIS—The Governor's office on August 3rd announced an additional $1.4 million in Federal Transportation Enhancement Program (TEP) funds for the construction of the Three Notch Trail project in St. Mary’s County. The new five-mile pedestrian and bicycle trail will extend from MD 5 in Mechanicsville to MD 236 in New Market. Once constructed, this missing link will provide an 11-mile continuous path through St. May’s County.
Being built atop the former Washington, Brandywine and Point Lookout Railroad bed, the Three Notch Trail Phase Six is a 10-foot wide, five mile long addition that will provide connections between the finished Charlotte Hall and Laurel Grove trail phases. The trail will feature an asphalt surface with two to three foot wide grass shoulders. Earlier this week, Governor O’Malley also announced $470,000 in State funding for this trail project through a Maryland Bikeways Program grant. St. Mary’s County, which is managing the project, will also contribute funding to the $2.87 million project.
“We are appreciative of the State of Maryland's support for construction of the next phase of the Three Notch Trail,” said St. Mary’s County Commissioner President Jack Russell. “The trail continues to provide residents and visitors recreational and transportation opportunities in a controlled and safe environment.”
The multi-use trail will be marked with appropriate signage, rest benches, and landscaping. Featuring an asphalt surface, the trail will meet ADA requirements making it accessible to all. The Three Notch Trail Phase VI enhancements are funded through the TEP Program, which funds non-traditional, community-based transportation-related projects. The Governor determines which projects qualify for funding based on need and potential benefit to the public. The Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration oversees the federal program, which has awarded more than $206 million for 270 projects in Maryland since the TEP program began in 1991.