A $47 million project to relocate less than one mile of Georgia Avenue in Brookville was dedicated to former Maryland Senator Karen S. Montgomery and the late Clyde W. Unglesbee.
The .7 of a mile two-lane highway with bicycle compatible shoulders between north of Goldmine Road and South of Holiday Drive bypasses Brookville. The Brookeville Bypass opened in May.
The bypass was created to make Georgia Avenue more accessible and safer for local residents, cyclists and pedestrians.
The project includes bridges at Meadow Branch Stream and Reddy Branch Stream. It also includes two single-lane roundabouts. Construction began in 2018.
Montgomery County paid $10 million. The rest of the funding came from the Town of Brookeville, Maryland-National Capital Park Planning Commission, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Maryland Historical Trust.
Maryland Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller joined State Senator Craig J. Zucker, Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administrator William Pines, State and Montgomery County officials and representatives from Brookeville at the ceremonies on Oct. 30.
“Senator Montgomery and Mr. Unglesbee never backed down from their commitment to progress for their communities,” said Miller. “As a result of their perseverance, the completed Brookville Bypass will serve the people of Brookville for generation after generation. The road to progress is slow, and it is always under construction, but today, we celebrate the completion of a monumental infrastructure project, thanks to the steadfast determination of two extraordinary public servants.”
A resident of Brookeville, Montgomery served as a state senator representing Maryland’s 14th District from 2010-16. Prior to that, she was a state delegate from 2002-10. She has been a longtime advocate of the Brookeville Bypass project.
Unglesbee, who passed away in 2009 at age 89, served as a commissioner to the Town of Brookeville and was a life member of the Olney Chamber of Commerce. He was instrumental in getting the bypass on the Olney Master Plan.
I was honored to join @LtGovMiller and @MDSHA Administrator Pines for the Brookeville Bypass Dedication today! We recognized the steadfast advocacy of former MD Senator Karen Montgomery and Brookville Commissioner Clyde Unglesbee in making this project a reality. pic.twitter.com/6ip7dR3XuR
— Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles (@CM_Sayles) October 31, 2023
Today, @ltgovmiller and SHA Administrator Pines dedicated the Brookville Bypass in @MontgomeryCoMD to former Senator Karen Montgomery & the late Mr. Clyde Unglesbee, who advocated for the MD 97 project. https://t.co/p8GQBWJPWN #MDOTsafety#MDOTdelivers pic.twitter.com/Z20mT8TdZ5
— MD State Highway Adm (@MDSHA) October 30, 2023
