The town of Indian Head was awarded $3.3 million dollars on Sept. 6, towards the funding of a scenic boardwalk that will parallel the Potomac River providing public access to the water.
The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) is providing 80 percent of the necessary funding to construct a 1,200-foot boardwalk that will run parallel to the Potomac River.
The provision for the Indian Head Boardwalk Project comes through the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP), a program that provides federal funds for transportation-related community projects. The $3,314,064 funds 80 percent of the project, while Charles County and the Town of Indian Head will provide 20 percent, or $828,516, with $500,000 from the Town of Indian Head and $328,516 from Charles County.
The Town of Indian Head first received approval for the project in 2005 under a previous federal program, but the project had been delayed. Indian Head officials recently requested reconsideration by MDOT SHA under the new TAP guidelines. TAP was created in 2013 and funds a broad range of activities, including projects to provide safe routes for non-drivers, as well as community improvement and environmental mitigation activities.
“We have had a request in for more than two years to the State Highway Administration for an increase from from 50 percent to 80 percent,” said Indian Head Mayor Brandon Paulin. “The Lieutenant Governor’s office gave us a call last week that they approved it and wanted to move forward.”
Paulin also shared that the town already has permits in hand for the construction as well as bids for the project, and are ready to move forward as soon as possible on the project.
“Indian Head offers all the charm and amenities of a small town and is just a short drive from the Nation’s Capital,” said Paulin. “As a historical and growing town, we recognize that the Town of Indian Head is rich with opportunity. By also serving as home to the Naval Support Facility Indian Head and other thriving businesses, we see this improvement as another catalyst for growth and are ready to begin construction.”
The area of development for the future boardwalk is currently a wooded, undeveloped stretch of the Potomac river.
While there has been no dialog yet regarding any commercial expansion such as restaurants, bait and tackle shops or other retail locations adjacent to the boardwalk, Paulin is confident that they will take place.
“Any way we can maximize potential return for projects and support the local economy we will do that,” Paulin said. “It [the boardwalk] will certainly be an asset, and it’s my hope and goal to maximize potential business use for it.”
Paulin also stated that the town is hoping to break ground sometime in 2018 and said that they might start sooner depending on how quickly they can move through the process.
“We are extremely excited about this becoming a new asset in Town to improve quality of life, open up the shores of the Potomac and certainly attract visitors and business,” Paulin said. “This is a nice step to continue to revitalize [the town of] Indian Head.”
Paulin was quick to offer his and the town’s gratitude to the many who have worked to see the project to fruition.
“This is something that has been talked about forever so by no means is it the brainchild of the current town council,” Paulin concluded. “There are lots of people to thank for their decades of hard work. I’m just happy we can get this done. Delivering results has been the goal since day one in my administration; we are continuing to do just that.”