WASHINGTON — The opening of the new MGM National Harbor casino is a big deal for Prince George’s County, Maryland, but residents have been dreading the traffic that will result.
Prince George’s County Councilmember Obie Patterson says the roads aren’t ready, and says he knows exactly how the Dec. 8 opening of the casino will play out.
“We’re going to have traffic backed up on (Interstate) 295; we’re going to have traffic backed up on (Interstate) 495,” Patterson said.
He added that the traffic situation will be similar to that of the National Harbor Christmas Tree lighting, which backed traffic up for 11 miles on a weekend last November. But MGM is opening on a Thursday.
At a meeting with Maryland transportation officials held Thursday, Patterson asked Pete Rahn, Maryland’s secretary of transportation, why more hadn’t been done to complete roadwork ahead of the opening.
“This project is already in the works,” Rahn said of the road improvement plan that the casino announced in September. “So it’s hard to change a contractual arrangement with a contractor once it’s underway.”
The casino is projected to attract about 20,000 visitors a day.
Highlights of the road plan include the following:
- Widening Oxon Hill Road between the Capital Beltway and Tanger Outlets.
- Adding new traffic signal on Oxon Hill Road at the county Park and Ride lot to ease access for buses and commuters.
- Expanding the roads on each side of MGM to three travel lanes each.
- Creating a traffic circle to encompass the MGM. Two roads flanking the resort will be connected by a road to be built roughly parallel to Oxon Hill Road.
- Adding a dedicated travel lane for traffic leaving the Wilson Bridge from Virginia heading toward National Harbor.
- Adding 800 parking spaces to the surface lot near Gaylord National Hotel and Conference Center.
- Creating a Circulator Bus route to serve Gaylord, downtown National Harbor, Tanger Outlets and the MGM. Daily passes will be $5.
WTOP’s Kristi King contributed to this report.
