Corps of Engineers finds problems with Charles County highway permit application

Approval for the Cross County Connector in Charles County, Md., could be in jeopardy. According to a recent letter from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to county officials, there are significant problems with the permit application for the $70-million highway.

In the eight-page letter, the Washington Post reported, the Corps asks the county to clarify the project’s purpose, conduct a traffic pattern study, suggest possible alternatives, reduce environmental effects and respond to concerns from the public.

County officials have argued that the project, which would link Indian Head Highway with Route 5, will relieve congestion on other east-west roads in the northwest part of the county. However, Corps officials found that the traffic information is outdated.

“Detailed information on potential mass transit alternatives that may address traffic concerns in this area should be provided,” wrote William P. Seib, chief of the Corps’ Maryland Section Southern, the Washington Post reported.

Additionally, the letter focused on the possible environmental damage the highway's construction could cause to the Mattawoman Creek watershed. The Environmental Protection Agency has said that the connector could cause “significant direct, indirect and cumulative impacts to an area of great environmental value, diversity and sensitivity."