Maryland

[mattpedersen]

I'd rather they construct a flyover to carry US 15 north through the interchange and onto the Frederick Freeway at the existing grade separation, and widen the ramps carrying US 15 south in the opposite direction to allow for free-flowing traffic on US 15.

There is room in the median on the US15/US40 for a flyover ramp, with a left merge. I am sure that was planned intentionally.

[ARMOURERERIC]

I lived in Brunswick 1988-1991, and suspected the left merge deal as well

[Alps]

I passed through the Essex area of MD a while back and crossed over the Back River on the Beltway, and as I did so I wondered to myself why the SRC felt that three road crossings of the Back River were necessary. Had the Outer Back River Crossing been constructed and linked to the Beltway near Sparrows Point, I think there would have been an excess of road capacity in this area even if the steel plant site at the Point was still in use at its fullest extent.

Are there any online resources that have info on why so much road capacity was considered for this river crossing?

I wonder if it was related to the steel plant and consideration for extra development. I, too, feel like there was a lot of freeway capacity planned south of I-95, and not even just down Sparrows Point. I've never heard a reason why, though.

[Henry]

I passed through the Essex area of MD a while back and crossed over the Back River on the Beltway, and as I did so I wondered to myself why the SRC felt that three road crossings of the Back River were necessary. Had the Outer Back River Crossing been constructed and linked to the Beltway near Sparrows Point, I think there would have been an excess of road capacity in this area even if the steel plant site at the Point was still in use at its fullest extent.

Are there any online resources that have info on why so much road capacity was considered for this river crossing?

I wonder if it was related to the steel plant and consideration for extra development. I, too, feel like there was a lot of freeway capacity planned south of I-95, and not even just down Sparrows Point. I've never heard a reason why, though.

I know that the Windlass Freeway was proposed to go from I-95 Exit 60 to White Marsh, and the Patapsco Freeway was to spur south of there to Sparrows Point; I'm sure that a northern extension of the latter was planned at one point, and if so, would it end at either US 40 or I-95?

Maybe it was a good thing that what was originally planned as the southeastern quadrant of the Beltway was eventually constructed as a surface highway (MD 702); having three freeway-grade roads in this area alone would surely be overkill.

[ixnay]

I'd rather they construct a flyover to carry US 15 north through the interchange and onto the Frederick Freeway at the existing grade separation, and widen the ramps carrying US 15 south in the opposite direction to allow for free-flowing traffic on US 15.

There is room in the median on the US15/US40 for a flyover ramp, with a left merge. I am sure that was planned intentionally.

With that left merge though, you would have another hard weave getting to MD 144 east (harder than the transition from 270 north to 15 south/340 west).

Just how busy a traffic sorter is Frederick's spaghetti bowl?

http://www.marylandroads.com/Traffic_Volume_Maps/Traffic_Volume_Maps.pdf (scroll down to Frederick County, then to the blowup of Frederick city)

ixnay

[bsmart]

They gotta fix the I-70/I-270/US 15/US 40/US 340 bottleneck in Frederick. Some of the movements on I-70 to US 15/40/340 aren't there, and if you want to head on US 15 South/US 340 West from I-270 North, you have to make a hard weave onto i-70 to take exit 52A. Also, the lanes for I-70 at exits 52-53 could be exit only as there aren't option lanes and the signs don't quite match the lanes. I-70 through Frederick needs more work too.

The interchanges are Frederick are hugely improved over what they used to be until about 2000. All of the major movements are possible now without having to use other roads to go between interchanges. A number of movements (I-70 E to US 15 or US 340, I-270 to I-70 E, US 340 to I-70 W, US 15 to I-70 W, I-70 W to I-270 S) did not exist previously.

The remaining movements are I-70 East to US 40 West. It'd be helpful to have that movement since that is also US 15, and probably a good alt route. I-70 West also does not get the US 15 North movement, meaning that I-70 east does not have an alt route to the Frederick Freeway, and I-70 West has no direct access at all. Both movements are pretty important.

The movements you want  already exist.I-70 East to US-40 is exit 48 as you come down Braddock Heights with a long ramp that puts you at the West End of the Dual Lane section of US 40.  I 70 West has lanes exiting (two going down to 1) at exit 53B that feed directly into US-15 North (Technically it is US-40 until you get to Jefferson Ave but everyone locally thinks of it as US-15.

[bsmart]

IMO movements from one freeway to another should never involve a stoplight.

Except at Breezewood  :-)

[ARMOURERERIC]

I'd rather they construct a flyover to carry US 15 north through the interchange and onto the Frederick Freeway at the existing grade separation, and widen the ramps carrying US 15 south in the opposite direction to allow for free-flowing traffic on US 15.

There is room in the median on the US15/US40 for a flyover ramp, with a left merge. I am sure that was planned intentionally.

With that left merge though, you would have another hard weave getting to MD 144 east (harder than the transition from 270 north to 15 south/340 west).

Just how busy a traffic sorter is Frederick's spaghetti bowl?

http://www.marylandroads.com/Traffic_Volume_Maps/Traffic_Volume_Maps.pdf (scroll down to Frederick County, then to the blowup of Frederick city)

ixnay

If you are on 15/340 N and wish to go to 144 E you just go straight ahead on Jefferson Street.  If you are on 15/340 N and wish to go to the 40 West commercial strip, the locals use the MD 180 exit and cut over on local streets south of 40.

[cl94]

Truck flipped over on the EB Chesapeake Bay Bridge this morning, hanging over the edge. Two-way traffic on the WB span until things get cleared.

http://www.nbcwashington.com/traffic/transit/Back-of-Overturned-Box-Truck-Hanging-Over-Edge-of-Bay-Bridge-336244301.html

[cpzilliacus]

Baltimore Sun: Project to improve safety of port's freight corridor wins $10 million federal grant

A project designed to help the Port of Baltimore be a better neighbor to city residents will get a $10 million boost from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Secretary Anthony Foxx announced Thursday.

The funding will support infrastructure improvements for the Southeast Baltimore Port Industry Freight Corridor Plan, which includes changes to the Broening Highway freight corridor. The improvements, designed to more safely connect the port to the regional and national road network, will include a replacement of the structurally deficient Colgate Creek Bridge and roadway improvements connecting freight to I-95 to enhance truck movement. It also will make street improvements to make it easier to walk and ride bicycle in nearby neighborhoods.

[cpzilliacus]

WTOP Radio: Secret Service responds to Wednesday's gridlock

The Secret Service has responded to the gridlock it created Wednesday when a presidential motorcade stopped traffic on the Capital Beltway during the evening commute.

On Wednesday, a lot of folks ended up getting home a lot later than normal. First the Inner Loop shut down for the motorcade during the height of the afternoon commute.

Traffic then stopped on the Outer Loop after 7 p.m. as the president returned to the White House.

President Barack Obama was attending a fundraiser at a  private home in Potomac, Maryland.

[Roadrunner75]

Have traffic volumes picked up on the ICC (MD 200)?  I drove it today around noon (granted it's a Sunday), and just like my last time about 2-3 months ago I expected to see tumbleweeds blowing across it.

[cpzilliacus]

Have traffic volumes picked up on the ICC (MD 200)?  I drove it today around noon (granted it's a Sunday), and just like my last time about 2-3 months ago I expected to see tumbleweeds blowing across it.

I drove it in the late afternoon, and it was pretty busy, especially westbound.

[Alps]

Have traffic volumes picked up on the ICC (MD 200)?  I drove it today around noon (granted it's a Sunday), and just like my last time about 2-3 months ago I expected to see tumbleweeds blowing across it.

I drove it in the late afternoon, and it was pretty busy, especially westbound.

I feel like the ICC traffic is going to be quite low until the top of the Beltway starts getting congested. That's not to say the ICC relieves Beltway traffic - that's but a minor function - but it's a bellwether of how other east-west roads are faring in southern MD. As long as the minor roads are moving well, few people will bother paying for the ICC, and traffic on 95 and 270 will just use the Beltway if it's moving well.

[cpzilliacus]

Have traffic volumes picked up on the ICC (MD 200)?  I drove it today around noon (granted it's a Sunday), and just like my last time about 2-3 months ago I expected to see tumbleweeds blowing across it.

I drove it in the late afternoon, and it was pretty busy, especially westbound.

I feel like the ICC traffic is going to be quite low until the top of the Beltway starts getting congested. That's not to say the ICC relieves Beltway traffic - that's but a minor function - but it's a bellwether of how other east-west roads are faring in southern MD. As long as the minor roads are moving well, few people will bother paying for the ICC, and traffic on 95 and 270 will just use the Beltway if it's moving well.

This is not a perfect surrogate for AADT by link, but MdTA reports a significant increase in toll revenue for the ICC between FY 2014 and FY2015 here.

Part of that increase can be attributed to the completion of the project between U.S. 1 (Baltimore Avenue) and I-95.

Is it a bail-out route for traffic wanting to avoid the Outer Loop of I-495, which is frequently and severely congested? 

I believe the answer is yes, perhaps more with people using navigation programs and hardware with dynamic routing based on congestion (or lack thereof), though if WTOP radio reports a crash or disabled vehicle blocking a lane on the "top side" of I-495, then many drivers will bail-out to parallel eat-west roads, mostly north of I-495, like Md. 193 (University Boulevard); Randolph Road/Cherry Hill Road; Md. 200; and Md. 198/Norbeck Road Extended/Md. 28.

Which of these moves the fastest?  The answer is left to the reader.

[jeffandnicole]

Have traffic volumes picked up on the ICC (MD 200)?  I drove it today around noon (granted it's a Sunday), and just like my last time about 2-3 months ago I expected to see tumbleweeds blowing across it.

It's almost unfair to drive a road once or twice and form an opinion on it.  If I drove Rt. 29 into Trenton on a Sunday, I could probably say the same thing as you said about the ICC, knowing full well on a Monday I'll be sitting in heavy congestion on the same stretch of road.

[cpzilliacus]

Have traffic volumes picked up on the ICC (MD 200)?  I drove it today around noon (granted it's a Sunday), and just like my last time about 2-3 months ago I expected to see tumbleweeds blowing across it.

It's almost unfair to drive a road once or twice and form an opinion on it.  If I drove Rt. 29 into Trenton on a Sunday, I could probably say the same thing as you said about the ICC, knowing full well on a Monday I'll be sitting in heavy congestion on the same stretch of road.

Md. 200 is not normally congested - the toll schedule is specifically designed to prevent recurring congestion, and if it starts to become congested, the tolls must be increased.

[jeffandnicole]

Have traffic volumes picked up on the ICC (MD 200)?  I drove it today around noon (granted it's a Sunday), and just like my last time about 2-3 months ago I expected to see tumbleweeds blowing across it.

It's almost unfair to drive a road once or twice and form an opinion on it.  If I drove Rt. 29 into Trenton on a Sunday, I could probably say the same thing as you said about the ICC, knowing full well on a Monday I'll be sitting in heavy congestion on the same stretch of road.

Md. 200 is not normally congested - the toll schedule is specifically designed to prevent recurring congestion, and if it starts to become congested, the tolls must be increased.

Yeah, I wouldn't think it would be congested, but I would believe there would be a lot more traffic on it than, say, a Sunday afternoon. 

Likewise, whenever I've driven on 95 south of DC (mostly at night), I rarely see anyone using the EZ Pass lanes due to the time I've driving in the area.  But I know that's not true during the day.

[jwolfer]

WTOP Radio: Secret Service responds to Wednesday's gridlock

The Secret Service has responded to the gridlock it created Wednesday when a presidential motorcade stopped traffic on the Capital Beltway during the evening commute.

On Wednesday, a lot of folks ended up getting home a lot later than normal. First the Inner Loop shut down for the motorcade during the height of the afternoon commute.

Traffic then stopped on the Outer Loop after 7 p.m. as the president returned to the White House.

President Barack Obama was attending a fundraiser at a  private home in Potomac, Maryland.

You would think that this would have been planned a little better.

[AlexandriaVA]

WTOP Radio: Secret Service responds to Wednesday's gridlock

The Secret Service has responded to the gridlock it created Wednesday when a presidential motorcade stopped traffic on the Capital Beltway during the evening commute.

On Wednesday, a lot of folks ended up getting home a lot later than normal. First the Inner Loop shut down for the motorcade during the height of the afternoon commute.

Traffic then stopped on the Outer Loop after 7 p.m. as the president returned to the White House.

President Barack Obama was attending a fundraiser at a  private home in Potomac, Maryland.

You would think that this would have been planned a little better.

Short of the residence having a helipiad, not much that can be done. Shutdowns and motorcades are an unvaoidable aspect of this area.

[jeffandnicole]

WTOP Radio: Secret Service responds to Wednesday’s gridlock

The Secret Service has responded to the gridlock it created Wednesday when a presidential motorcade stopped traffic on the Capital Beltway during the evening commute.

On Wednesday, a lot of folks ended up getting home a lot later than normal. First the Inner Loop shut down for the motorcade during the height of the afternoon commute.

Traffic then stopped on the Outer Loop after 7 p.m. as the president returned to the White House.

President Barack Obama was attending a fundraiser at a  private home in Potomac, Maryland.

You would think that this would have been planned a little better.

I've never seen a situation where they've asked the President to arrive/depart earlier/later for traffic reasons.  For example, if he was giving a speech in your city, his plane would arrive and they would whisk him to the speaking location. Doesn't matter the time of day. 

[jwolfer]

WTOP Radio: Secret Service responds to Wednesday’s gridlock

The Secret Service has responded to the gridlock it created Wednesday when a presidential motorcade stopped traffic on the Capital Beltway during the evening commute.

On Wednesday, a lot of folks ended up getting home a lot later than normal. First the Inner Loop shut down for the motorcade during the height of the afternoon commute.

Traffic then stopped on the Outer Loop after 7 p.m. as the president returned to the White House.

President Barack Obama was attending a fundraiser at a  private home in Potomac, Maryland.

You would think that this would have been planned a little better.

I've never seen a situation where they've asked the President to arrive/depart earlier/later for traffic reasons.  For example, if he was giving a speech in your city, his plane would arrive and they would whisk him to the speaking location. Doesn't matter the time of day.

I'm thinking the organizers of the fundraiser..

[Roadrunner75]

Have traffic volumes picked up on the ICC (MD 200)?  I drove it today around noon (granted it's a Sunday), and just like my last time about 2-3 months ago I expected to see tumbleweeds blowing across it.

It's almost unfair to drive a road once or twice and form an opinion on it.  If I drove Rt. 29 into Trenton on a Sunday, I could probably say the same thing as you said about the ICC, knowing full well on a Monday I'll be sitting in heavy congestion on the same stretch of road.

Md. 200 is not normally congested - the toll schedule is specifically designed to prevent recurring congestion, and if it starts to become congested, the tolls must be increased.

Yeah, I wouldn't think it would be congested, but I would believe there would be a lot more traffic on it than, say, a Sunday afternoon. 

Likewise, whenever I've driven on 95 south of DC (mostly at night), I rarely see anyone using the EZ Pass lanes due to the time I've driving in the area.  But I know that's not true during the day.

I've also driven 200 at or close to peak times in the past and it seemed empty then too, so I'm not basing this on one Sunday drive.  And in this particular case, there was plenty of traffic at each end on 270 and 95 - even 370 before it transitions into 200.  I've read in the past (probably here as well) how volumes have been well below projections, so I think it's a fair question.  I do like the fire hydrant location signs, though.

How have the tolled express lanes north of Baltimore been doing with volumes?  Again, my experience has been primarily off-peak.  About half the time, I go for it, and always ask myself "was that really worth $1.19?"

[cpzilliacus]

I've also driven 200 at or close to peak times in the past and it seemed empty then too, so I'm not basing this on one Sunday drive.  And in this particular case, there was plenty of traffic at each end on 270 and 95 - even 370 before it transitions into 200.  I've read in the past (probably here as well) how volumes have been well below projections, so I think it's a fair question.  I do like the fire hydrant location signs, though.

How have the tolled express lanes north of Baltimore been doing with volumes?  Again, my experience has been primarily off-peak.  About half the time, I go for it, and always ask myself "was that really worth $1.19?"

Route 200 has enough traffic that it is covering the costs of operation and maintenance out of toll revenues and amortizing the toll revenue bonds that were sold to fund its construction.

[cl94]

FHWA posted a link to the site on their Facebook page today, specifically the I-595 page. Can we call that an endorsement?

https://www.facebook.com/FederalHighwayAdmin/?fref=ts