Road work on the horizon for Eldersburg

State outlines projects with county

Md. Route 32 in Sykesville, just south of Md. Route 26 (Libety Road), is set to undergo some changes to improve safety and reduce congestion.

Thursday, Oct. 6, 2005
by Katie Champion

Staff Writer

State transportation officials have agreed to push along plans for several road projects in Eldersburg after being urged to do so by county commissioners and members of the Carroll County Delegation.

At the top of that list is a project intended to increase safety at the intersection of Md. routes 26 and 32.

‘‘We’re under way with an aggressive engineering schedule,” said Neil J. Pedersen, administrator of the State Highway Administration.

Officials are in the process of working on property appraisals of affected businesses near the project. ‘‘Right now we’re concentrating on those properties,” Pedersen said.

The decision to expedite the process comes after a Sept. 22 meeting between the State Highway Administration and the Board of Carroll County Commissioners. At the meeting, the commissioners and Del. Susan W. Krebs (R-Dist. 9B) of Eldersburg urged transportation officials to speed up the process and begin construction as soon as possible.

The project, slated for completion by June 2009, will provide two through lanes in each direction on Route 32, a traffic signal at the intersection of Route 32 and MacBeth Way⁄Piney Ridge Parkway, turn lanes in all directions, and sidewalks.

‘‘It’s urgent. It’s a serious safety issue, not just a matter of convenience,” Krebs said, reminding transportation officials that the county has already set aside $2.5 million to accelerate the project. ‘‘I thank the commissioners because this is unprecedented.”

The commissioners and Krebs met again on Sept. 28, this time with members of the Maryland Department of Transportation.

The meeting was part of Transportation Secretary Robert L. Flanagan’s tour of Maryland counties to discuss with state, county and local officials the State Consolidated Transportation Plan, the master plan for road construction and improvements.

Farther south along Route 32, within the Town of Sykesville, work has already begun on a project that will create a safer entrance to the town and the Warfield Development. Warfield is a 138-acre parcel of land containing a dozen vacant historic buildings once used by the Springfield Hospital Center. The buildings are being renovated to become an economic development and cultural project for South Carroll.

The intersection, which will include turn lanes and a relocated Md. Route 851, is expected to be complete in June 2007 at a cost of more than $4.5 million.

Planning is complete for improvements along a three-mile stretch of Md. Route 26 east to the Liberty Reservoir in Eldersburg. The project, estimated to cost $40 million, will add two through lanes in each direction, turning lanes, a median and bicycle and pedestrian crosswalks and sidewalks. Last year, the Board of Carroll County Commissioners put $1 million toward the engineering plan in hopes of moving along work to enhance safety in the area.

Other South Carroll projects were discussed, including a preliminary engineering studies to widen Twin Arch Road in Mount Airy and install left-turn lanes to improve safety on Route 26 at Klee Mill Road in Eldersburg. Neither of the projects have construction schedules.

A traffic signal for the intersection of Route 32 and Progress Way near the Eldersburg post office is scheduled for installation by the end of January. David J. Coyne, district engineer for Sykesville and Eldersburg, said studies warrant a signal to allow vehicles safer access to Route 32 from Progress Way.

Discussion ensued regarding the need for a bypass in two other municipalities, Westminster and Manchester. Del. Donald Elliott (R-Dist. 4B) urged the consideration of bypasses in the two towns as traffic flow increases with home construction in the surrounding areas.

‘‘We have to look and see what we’re going to have in 2020,” Elliott said.

County commissioners argued whether or not the bypass was necessary with other road improvements in the vicinity.

Transportation officials agreed to look into the possibility.

‘‘There are a lot of competing priorities for Carroll County,” Flanagan said, suggesting that officials come up with a common set of facts when debating the issue. He said that the State Highway Administration will fund bypasses ‘‘where it makes sense.”