Monday, October 17, 2011

Monocacy Boulevard Opening in Late 2012

Last week Mayor McClement announced that the center section of Monocacy Boulevard would be open to traffic by the end of 2012. This is welcome news for the business community, as this new roadway will greatly improve access and traffic flow to major employment centers in Riverside and on the north end of town.

Completion of Monocacy Boulevard and improvements to Gas House Pike will create a new access point from I-70 to the businesses located in the Riverside business parks, Clustered Spires Golf Course, and to Route 26. Once fully completed Monocacy Boulevard serves as a mini-beltway around Frederick, connecting I-70 to Route 15 N along the east side. Future completion of the Rt. 15/Monocacy Boulevard interchange will continue the connection to the west side of the city.

“Continued investment in the City’s infrastructure is a critical component of economic development and the creation of new jobs in our community,” said Richard Griffin, director of the City’s Department of Economic Development.

The City’s costs to construct Monocacy Boulevard will be off-set in part by the Maryland BRAC Revitalization and Incentive Zone program. In 2008, the east side of Frederick City became one of the first such zones designated in the State of Maryland. A program of the Maryland Department of Business & Economic Development, the BRAC Zone program was designed to assist communities with the development of new infrastructure projects in support of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) expansions at federal installations.

For more information on this project, or the BRAC Revitalization and Incentive Zone, contact DED at 301-600-6360.