Maryland Politics Watch reports that Montgomery County Council President Phil Andrews has come out in favor of a more modest, somewhat less expensive plan to widen Interstate 270 -- the project this blog has dubbed the Sprawlway for its likely effect on northern Montgomery, Frederick County and places even farther from Washington.

Andrews is calling on his colleagues to seek construction of two additional lanes  on I-270 betweeen Shady Grove and Frederick. He would make them reversible, carrying southbound traffic in the morning and northbound  in the  evening -- and would finance them partly by charging tolls  on singly-occupied vehicles in the fast lanes.

To give credit where it's due, Andrews' proposal is less egregious than the county planning board's call to spend  $4.6 billion to add two express toll lanes in each direction. That gold-plated  proposal would be the most costly transportation project ever undertaken in Maryland by far.

Andrews' proposal is more on the order of silver-plated and earns the title of Sprawlway Lite. It would still be enormously expensive and it would still contribute to the outward expansion of McMansions. Also, the proposal would continue to  concentrate growth in an already saturated corridor far from Baltimore instead of leveraging the Intercounty Connector to bring more growth to the center of the state.

Anyone proposing such a project up front must also acknowledge that the tolls for those express lanes are likely to make the charges proposed for the ICC look like a bargain. They also can't relieve congestion too much, because the state can't make money if there are no traffic jams to escape.

Andrews proposes that constructiion of the Corridor Cities Transitway, a mass transit extension of the Metro Red Line through the I-270 corridor to Clarksburg,  take precedence. He is urging colleagues to  endorse Bus Rapid Transit as the mode of travel, a potentially controversial but fiiscallly prudent choice.

Going forward with that project separately from the I-270 widening is wise because the latter will be a hard sell to the rest of the state. Maryland faces a long list of much-needed toll-financed projects to preserve or replace exiisting infrastructure. Any scheme to widen I-270 would have to get in line.

The Montgomery Council could act on Andrews' recommendation as early as Tuesday.

Posted by Michael Dresser at 5:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: On the roads
        

Folks for whom it's an article of faith that roads are paid for with the gas tax while transit bleeds the body public might want to ignore this article from DC.StreetsBlog.org on the high cost of highways and who ends up paying for them.

In short, Rep. Mike Kursee says roads cover only a small part of their costs in his state and that taxes raised in the cities go to extend roads out into rural areas. He has some  candid comments about the state of the nation's transportation finances.

The article doesn't say, but Krusee is a Republican.

Posted by Michael Dresser at 4:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: On the roads
        

The Baltimore Department of Transportation will close several blocks of Howard Street and Saratoga Street next week in order to rebuild that intersection.

The department announced that it would close Saratoga Street between Park Avenue and Eutaw Street and Howard Street between Fayette and Mulberry streets has from 9 a.m. Monday through 6 p.m. Friday. The light rail will continue to operate on Howard Street.

The cityt suggested that motoriists use alternate routes such as Franklin or Fayette streets instead of Saratoga. In place of Howard Street, it suggested Paca or Charles streets.

Posted by Michael Dresser at 3:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: On the roads
        

A reader posted  these questions to the Getting There  blog. I thought they were worth answering by going straight to the source -- Dave Buck of the State Highway Adminiistration. Here are the questions:

I recall hearing that (Gov. Robert L. ) Ehrlich passed a project to widen the West side outer loop of the Beltway to four lanes and it would start around 2009 or 2010.
What's the status on that?

Also, what about the triple bridges connecting I-70 to I-695? A ton of traffic just sits on the ramp from I-70 trying to get onto the Inner Loop of the Beltway. The bridges are also built in such a way that only three lanes in each direction can get through on the Beltway and there is no shoulder. What is the plan to fix that?

Continue reading "Beltway widening projects depend on finding funds" »

Posted by Michael Dresser at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: On the roads
        

A man who ferries schoolchildren between their homes on Smith Island and their classes in the Eastern Shore town of Crisfield has been charged with operating the vessel while drunk.

According to the state Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Coast Guard boarded the 60-foot school boat Wednesday while the operating was taking five chidren to the island. The department said the operator tested positive for alcohol use and was detained until a DNR police officer arrived to arrest him and to take the children home.

Alan Wade Tyler, 49, of Smith Island was charged with operating a vessel under the influence of alcohol, operating a vessel while impaired by alcohol, operating a vessel while impaired by any drug or combination of drugs and alcohol and negligent operation of a vessel.

The department said the Coast Guard has temporarily suspended the operator’s license and will begin administrative disciplinary proceedings.

 “We take violations affecting passengers, especially children, very seriously,” said Cmdr. Kelly M. Post, chief of prevention at the Coast Guard’s Sector Baltimore.“I have initiated a detailed investigation and will take the appropriate measures to prevent and deter violations like this in the future.”

Posted by Michael Dresser at 6:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Afloat
        

Here's an interesting tidbit from deputy Baltimore transportation director Jamie Kendrick's talk to the Downtown Partnership this morning:

More than 86% of Baltimore’s land area is within ½ mile of a school – and in one month alone, using just two cameras along 33rd street, we issued 1,462 warning citations to drivers going more than 12 mph over the speed limit. We are drop dead serious about reducing unsafe speeds in Baltimore.

Are the 1,462 who received the warnings...

a.) Oppressed victims of Big Brother.

b.) Hard-working Americans who were just in a little bit of a hurry.

c.) Negligent, irresponsible drivers who could have easily moved down a schoolkid and who are lucky to have gotten off with a warning.

Vote here:   

c. _____

c. _____

c. _____

It's good to be the blog king.

Posted by Michael Dresser at 5:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: On the roads
        

Zachary Zelefsky noticed something that appeared odd about the Baltimore Beltway. He had some questions. We found him some answers. Let's let him explain.

I live in Reisterstown and commute to Towson, where I work. The drive takes me about twenty minutes without traffic, but on days when traffic is heavy the trip can be over an hour long. As my car is creeping along in the far left lane, I am constantly distracted by all of the unused road space on the side of the highway. Traffic is backed up for miles in both directions of 695. All of the cars are packed into four lanes while the huge left shoulder is sitting empty. The image is always frustrating to me. I cannot understand why we have so much perfectly good road not being used. I understand the need for a shoulder in emergency situations (even though there are sections of 695 that have no left shoulder and function perfectly fine). But for a majority of 695, at least on the northern half, the left shoulder is two lanes wide. If one of these lanes were converted to a usable lane, the volume of traffic could be reduced while still leaving room for an emergency lane on both the right and left sides. Even if this was only done during peak traffic times, I believe it would be a simple and effective way to reduce the amount of traffic during rush hour.

Continue reading "Wide shoulders prompt Beltway questions" »

Posted by Michael Dresser at 9:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Chikwe C. Njoku had a suggestion for the Maryland Transit Administration about its light rail service. He thought he saw a way to improve it. So we passed along this message to the agency:

(I) wonder if it would be prudent for the MTA to explore a Hunt Valley/Timonium to Camden Yard train that has a reverse direction stop at Penn? As Baltimore continues to become “DC centric”.. I see many people, including myself, disembarking at Mt. Royal and walking to Penn to catch the MARC. Few wait for the Penn Shuttle to funnel them into the Penn Station.

Granted, walking is a GOOD thing, but everyone may not share this ambition,  especially in inclement weather. A Hunt Valley/Timonium to Camden Yard Train could run at key times only during morning and evening rush. Ideally, there would be a dedicated switch track between North Ave and Mt Royal to carry the train into the existing Penn Shuttle Line into Penn Station.

However; that would cost $$ that the MTA doesn’t have. Why couldn’t the train reverse direction into Penn like the former Penn (only) Shuttle used to do? It could then become the “Penn Camden Shuttle” and continue its run to Camden Yards. The reverse trip from Camden would also include a trip over to Penn Station, before going back out on to the main line and up to Hunt Valley/Timonium.

It's not the perfect scenario but as the demand continues to grow.. it could eventually justify a switch being built above Mt. Royal for direct northbound access to the Central line. It could have a minimal impact on the Penn- Camden’s run since it could be inserted only during AM or PM rush.

For the answer, click below:

Continue reading "MTA explains light rail limitations" »

Posted by Michael Dresser at 5:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Light rail
        

I pass this alert on just as it came in from my former Sun  colleague Jon Morgan. I see no way I can improve on it:

News Alert

03:30 PM EST Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Evening traffic backups likely in Montgomery

Technicians have yet to resolve a malfunction with the computerized system that

controls 750 traffic lights across Montgomery County, which will probably mean a

repeat of Wednesday morning's massive backups during the evening rush.

Posted by Michael Dresser at 4:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: On the roads
        

AAA Mid-Atlantic has issued a timely reminder that Maryland's deer population is in the amorous throes of late autumn, when the sex-besotted beasts are especially likely to jump into the path of your vehicle while in the single-minded pursuit of a mate.

The results can be deadly -- and not just for the deer. In 2007, the last year on recoord, two people died and 458 were injured in 1,962 animal-vehicle crashes, according to the Deer-Vehicle Crash Information Clearinghouse.

According to AAA, the average property damage claim from a deer-vehicle crash was $3,300.

“Keep in mind, with increased development, deer habitat has decreased and deer are interacting and living closer to humans,” saiid AAA spokeswoman Ragina Averella.  “Drive defensively and be alert, particularly near wooded areas along local roadways.  Most deer-vehicle collisions occur on two-lane roads bordered by natural habitat."

AAA  offered the following tips for dealing with deer on the road:

• Buckle up and do not speed.  A decrease in speed gives you more time to react. 

                                           AP Photo

Continue reading "AAA warns that deer are out to get you" »

Posted by Michael Dresser at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: On the roads