As fresh faces arrive at the Statehouse in the next three weeks, the legislative complex will get a fresh look as Bladen Street reopens, a new 725-space garage eases the parking crunch, and the new House of Delegates wing finally gets its finishing touches.
The last two blocks of Bladen Street from the revamped College Creek bridge to Lawyers Mall at the back of the Statehouse have been closed to incoming traffic for several years as work proceeded on both buildings. All four lanes of the divided street will be back in service on Thursday, eliminating the detours that have diverted traffic.
“I think everybody will be happy at the reopening,” said Lee Wildemann, a spokeswoman for the Department of General Services.
The new $20 million parking garage at Bladen and Calvert streets will open as early as Jan. 4, but no later than Jan. 8, Wildemann said, depending on the availability of technicians to make sure gates are operating properly.
All the spaces, built at an average cost of $27,500, are reserved for state employees who work for the legislature, the governor or the comptroller?s office, but the garage will not be open to the public for the time being.
One reason the four-story garage was so expensive was because the façade was built with brick and stone to fit in with the Georgian style of the surrounding buildings in the legislative office complex. The project was funded from revenue bonds by the Maryland Transportation Authority.
The wet-paint signs are due to come down shortly in the new House of Delegates building, only about a year behind schedule. The final part of the $28.9 million project was put off last January “rather than have session interrupted,” Wildemann said. “It really is the completion of the contract.”
Along with roomier hearing rooms, more office space and new audio-visual equipment, new, more colorful carpeting was installed in the older House building. “We love our carpet,” said Virginia Charles, a legislative aide for Del. Shane Pendergrass and one of the few staffers around during the holidays. “They did an incredibly good job.”
According to another staffer, a motor on one of the new elevators had to be replaced eight times before a problem was resolved.
