AP Photo                       

The cost estimate for building the Intercounty Connector has held steady over the past year, with no change to last year's estimate of $2.566 billion.

The State Highway Administration and Maryland Transportation Authority  certified that figure last week in its annual report to the Federal Highway Administration. The agencies told the federal government the work on the thrre main contracts for the ICC -- taking it from Interstate 370 to Interstate  95 -- are all on time or slightly ahead of schedule.

Work on the western end of the ICC -- from Georgia Avenue to I-370 -- was 60 percent complete as of September and is expected to be completed in late 2010. (It will be interesting to see if the contractor can finish before the gubernatorial election.)

The other two segments leading to I-95, close to half complete in some places, are expected to open in late 2011 or early 2012.

A short segment leading to U.S. 1 has been delayed until 2013, while some work on the feeder routes from I-95 to the ICC has been pushed back to 2017.

There  are no big surprises here. It's a case where no news is good news.