Caroline County commissioners instructed staff Tuesday to draft the county’s 2025 state transportation priority letter with a primary focus on maintaining and resurfacing existing state routes, and to include several locally prioritized corridors.

Among items discussed for the May submission were maintenance of Maryland Route 454 (Crownstone Road), completion of safety improvements and turn-lane work at the MD 404/Maryland 328 (River Road) intersection near the high school, final paving of MD 16 from Lake Drive to the MD 404 intersection, continuation of MD 404 wider improvements and traffic‑management signage, and resurfacing needs on MD 313 between Greensboro and Goldsboro and and on Fettlesburg Highway. Commissioners noted interim work already planned by the state but urged finishing pavement work and shoulder/turn‑lane treatments where needed.

Why it matters: The county’s annual priority letter informs the Maryland Department of Transportation’s regional planning and allocation of paving, turn‑lane and safety projects. Several items discussed affect school traffic and emergency‑service access.

Key details: Staff reported the state plans paving for segments of MD 306 this fiscal year and earlier intersection work on River Road is awaiting final paving — officials said completion is being timed to school schedules. Commissioners and public commenters urged inclusion of MD 454 and MD 313 safety and paving needs; a local resident also recommended a right‑turn lane conversion at the 313/317 intersection to reduce confusion and improve fire department access.

What’s next: Staff will prepare a draft priority letter for the commissioners’ review at a subsequent meeting before the May submission deadline.

Provenance: Discussion of priorities and route suggestions appears in transcript timecodes ~3101–3674, with public comments on 313/317 and MD 454 appearing later in the session (≈3313–3463).

Ending: Commissioners offered additional road suggestions and asked staff to include resurfacing, turn‑lane and signage improvements in the draft and to return the draft for final approval before the May deadline.