Maryland

[cpzilliacus]

Around The Corners: The Northern Parkway

Have you ever crossed under the Beltway while using the Sligo Creek Trail?  If you have, you will know that there is a nice grassy area north of the Beltway between Forest Glen Road, Holy Cross Hospital, and the creek.  If you have lived in Four Corners a long time, you will remember that the bridge carrying the Beltway over the Sligo Creek Trial used to be ridiculously large for the size of the trail it crossed.  If you've lived in the area for a really long time, you will remember when the Beltway had exit numbers that were sequential instead of mileage based.  Georgia Avenue used to be Exit 23, and Colesville Road used to be Exit 21.  So what was exit 22?

The large bridge that carried the Beltway over the trail (before being replaced in 2001) was not built to carry the Beltway over a path; rather, it was built to carry the Beltway over a six lane limited-access highway.  That grassy area next to the hospital is not there by accident; it was supposed to be the site of an extensive freeway interchange.  The omission of Exit 22 was not a mistake; it was supposed to be the future exit number for the Northern Parkway.

[TheOneKEA]

Around The Corners: The Northern Parkway

Have you ever crossed under the Beltway while using the Sligo Creek Trail?  If you have, you will know that there is a nice grassy area north of the Beltway between Forest Glen Road, Holy Cross Hospital, and the creek.  If you have lived in Four Corners a long time, you will remember that the bridge carrying the Beltway over the Sligo Creek Trial used to be ridiculously large for the size of the trail it crossed.  If you've lived in the area for a really long time, you will remember when the Beltway had exit numbers that were sequential instead of mileage based.  Georgia Avenue used to be Exit 23, and Colesville Road used to be Exit 21.  So what was exit 22?

The large bridge that carried the Beltway over the trail (before being replaced in 2001) was not built to carry the Beltway over a path; rather, it was built to carry the Beltway over a six lane limited-access highway.  That grassy area next to the hospital is not there by accident; it was supposed to be the site of an extensive freeway interchange.  The omission of Exit 22 was not a mistake; it was supposed to be the future exit number for the Northern Parkway.

I can't disagree with the conclusions about the loss of parkland and valuable watershed buffers, but sadly a road like this is still very badly needed. The segment between I-495 and MD 200 would be tremendously valuable today.

[cpzilliacus]

I can't disagree with the conclusions about the loss of parkland and valuable watershed buffers, but sadly a road like this is still very badly needed. The segment between I-495 and MD 200 would be tremendously valuable today.

I do not dispute that.  Combined with the Four Corners Bypass, it would have provided relief to U.S. 29 (Colesville Road and Columbia Pike) and Md. 97 (Georgia Avenue).

Remember that the Northern Parkway was put on the M-NCP&PC Master Plan of Highways back in the 1950's or earlier by the Montgomery County Council and M-NCP&PC, when there was no U.S. Department of Transportation Act Section 4(f), no Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and no Clean Air Act.

Section 4(f) especially would have made it very tough to build a freeway through sections of Sligo Creek Park, Wheaton Regional Park and Northwest Branch Park - and the Northern Parkway would have had to traverse long sections of all three.

Section 4(f) is one of the reasons why it took so many years to get Md. 200 built - even though this road was crossing the stream valleys at (roughly) 90° angles, not running parallel to them for long distances. 

Consider this - had Section 4(f) been on the books when the route of the Capital Beltway was being planned and engineered in the late 1950's and early 1960's, it it unlikely that it would have been allowed to take up large sections of Rock Creek Park between the Mormon Temple and I-270/Md. 355.

[Henry]

When I first came across that link, I thought this was a reference to the major thoroughfare that arcs over the upper end of Baltimore and touches the city line at both ends. But then I read about the I-495 Beltway, and realized that I was wrong. Though it's probably safe to say that Exit 22 on I-495 was reserved for future use in the same way that Exit 37 on I-695 was in reference to the Windlass Freeway that would connect to I-95 and Moravia Road (neither of which were ever built).

[cpzilliacus]

When I first came across that link, I thought this was a reference to the major thoroughfare that arcs over the upper end of Baltimore and touches the city line at both ends. But then I read about the I-495 Beltway, and realized that I was wrong.

That Northern Parkway did get built.

Though it's probably safe to say that Exit 22 on I-495 was reserved for future use in the same way that Exit 37 on I-695 was in reference to the Windlass Freeway that would connect to I-95 and Moravia Road (neither of which were ever built).

Only difference is that the exit numbers on the Capital Beltway were have been converted to a milepost-based system, while the exits on I-695 (Baltimore Beltway) are little changed from its original exit numbers. 

[Alps]

When I first came across that link, I thought this was a reference to the major thoroughfare that arcs over the upper end of Baltimore and touches the city line at both ends. But then I read about the I-495 Beltway, and realized that I was wrong.

That Northern Parkway did get built.

There was actually a proposal to run a freeway along that corridor, so not as much as you think.

[cpzilliacus]

When I first came across that link, I thought this was a reference to the major thoroughfare that arcs over the upper end of Baltimore and touches the city line at both ends. But then I read about the I-495 Beltway, and realized that I was wrong.

That Northern Parkway did get built.

There was actually a proposal to run a freeway along that corridor, so not as much as you think.

I do not recall a freeway being proposed for the Northern Parkway corridor in Baltimore City (I presume you meant Baltimore and not Montgomery County's Northern Parkway).

Scott Kozel does not mention it, and I do not recall one in a Maryland Historical Society article from the late 1990's either.

[Mergingtraffic]

I am probably late to the party but what's the status on the I-95/I-695 interchange?  Was it ever completed?  I heard the project shut down midway. 

[1995hoo]

I am probably late to the party but what's the status on the I-95/I-695 interchange?  Was it ever completed?  I heard the project shut down midway. 

The ramps connecting the I-95 Express Toll Lanes to I-695 have been deferred indefinitely.

[BrianP]

Montgomery County wants to extend the Montrose Parkway to the east from MD 355 to Viers Mill Road using the more of the old outer beltway ROW.

http://www.gazette.net/article/20140430/NEWS/140439723/1022/rockville-u-haul-concerned-about-effects-of-road-project&template=gazette

[ARMOURERERIC]

When I bought my first home in 1988, I reserved the moving truck there.  It was a total cluster F***.  Essentially they had my truck at a multi-user surface lot in Bethesda that someone double parked in and rather than admit it, they played the "it will be here in 15 mins, we really promise" for 3 hours.

Anyway, I hope whatever they design eliminates the grade separation with the MARC tracks unlike the recently built Montrose Parkway did.

[cpzilliacus]

Montgomery County wants to extend the Montrose Parkway to the east from MD 355 to Viers Mill Road using the more of the old outer beltway ROW.

http://www.gazette.net/article/20140430/NEWS/140439723/1022/rockville-u-haul-concerned-about-effects-of-road-project&template=gazette

Only one thing wrong with this - the Montrose Parkway, even in its scaled-down format, should go to Md. 200 (between Md. 182 and Md. 650) instead of ending at Viers Mill Road.

[cpzilliacus]

Traffic calming can have dangerous consequences, as discussed in this report from the scene of a house fire in Takoma Park.

Emergency vehicles encountered obstacles as they approached the fire. The area's narrow streets were further constricted with utility construction projects and, allegedly, a "traffic-calming"  device.

And one neighbor reported that another emergency responder foundered on a concrete traffic-calming curb.

[cpzilliacus]

WTOP Radio: Maryland residents could be charged a driving fee

Could Maryland residents be taxed for each mile they drive? It's something lawmakers want to study, but the state's gubernatorial candidates and transportation experts don't like the idea.

Under a "Vehicle Miles Travelled" tax, drivers would be required to report their mileage to the government -- possibly through a GPS tracker. Then drivers would be charged a fee per mile.

"This is something that drivers ought to be concerned about," says Ron Ely, chairman of the Maryland Drivers Alliance. "If such a plan is actually implemented, you'll end up paying a lot more. Even if they set a relatively low rate per mile, you'd still be looking at a sizable chunk taken out of people's wallets."

The VMT fee, in addition to the gas tax that was implemented in July 2013, has been discussed before and was included in the Maryland Department of Transportation Draft 2012 Implementation Plan as a way to cut emissions and discourage driving. VMT fees were not specifically addressed in the Maryland Department of the Environment 2013 Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan, but a House bill to prohibit the tax died in committee last year.

[cpzilliacus]

Full disclosure: I know Tom Schueler, quoted in the article, professionally.  Good guy.

Baltimore Sun: Porous pavement gets another tryout in Maryland

The concrete oozed rather than poured out of the mixer truck, almost as if reluctant to cover the ground – partly because it won't, entirely.

Laborers shoveled pebbly gobs around to form a new sidewalk at a park-and-ride lot in Waysons Corner, one of two where the State Highway Administration is laying "pervious" concrete this summer as a test of its environmental friendliness.

Porous paving surfaces have been around for decades, but they're expensive and often didn't work well. Interest in such surfaces among governments and developers is on the rebound, though, in response to new state regulations aimed at curbing stormwater pollution from pavement smothering the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

"There has been a resurgence in permeable pavement in the state and across the bay watershed in recent years," said Tom Schueler, head of the Chesapeake Stormwater Network, an organization that trains engineers and others how to deal with runoff.

[lepidopteran]

Has anyone noticed these new almost-too-bright streetlights on I-95?

At the MD-216 and MD-32 interchanges, some of the ramp lights have been replaced with these new lights that are so bright, I sometimes have to put my visor down at night.  The heads, possibly retrofitted on the same poles that previously held traditional round units, appear to be long and narrow with a slight curve.  They produce a white light, as opposed to that tan-like glow of sodium vapor.  Are these LEDs?

[cpzilliacus]

Has anyone noticed these new almost-too-bright streetlights on I-95?

At the MD-216 and MD-32 interchanges, some of the ramp lights have been replaced with these new lights that are so bright, I sometimes have to put my visor down at night.  The heads, possibly retrofitted on the same poles that previously held traditional round units, appear to be long and narrow with a slight curve.  They produce a white light, as opposed to that tan-like glow of sodium vapor.  Are these LEDs?

Yes, I believe those are LEDs.

SHA is also installing them in places along Md. 32 and I-97.

EDIT And I-95.  Curiously, there are none along Md. 200, except at the toll gantries, where small LED units are used to provide light for the ALPRs.

[cpzilliacus]

Baltimore Sun: Three-year construction project begins on I-695 in Balto. Co.

Construction to widen and resurface lanes and redesign exit patterns along a 1-mile stretch of Interstate 695 in Baltimore County began this week and is expected to continue through the summer of 2017, according to the State Highway Administration.

The $34.4 million project, part of a slate of recent highway investments paid for under the state's Transportation Infrastructure Investment Act, will effect both the inner and outer loops of the highway between Harford Road and Perring Parkway. The stretch of highway cuts through the Parkville and Carney areas of the county, northeast of Baltimore and east of Towson.

[kj3400]

Does it involve getting rid of all those cloverleaves? Because there are a lot of cloverleaves on that section.

[MASTERNC]

I was in the White Marsh area this weekend and noticed the I-95 ETL project is near completion.  I was surprised to see, however, that there are ETL ramps being built for NB entrance/SB exit for MD 43.  I was under the impression these movements were tabled due to funding issues.

[MASTERNC]

Does it involve getting rid of all those cloverleaves? Because there are a lot of cloverleaves on that section.

Sounds like only one ramp at Harford Road will be removed.  IMO, this needs to be done on all three adjacent cloverleafs (US 1, Harford Rd, Perring Pkwy)

[Laura]

I was in the White Marsh area this weekend and noticed the I-95 ETL project is near completion.  I was surprised to see, however, that there are ETL ramps being built for NB entrance/SB exit for MD 43.  I was under the impression these movements were tabled due to funding issues.

The ETL ramps at I-95 and I-695 were tabled. The bridges at MD 43 were past life expectancy and needed to be replaced anyway.

[MASTERNC]

I was in the White Marsh area this weekend and noticed the I-95 ETL project is near completion.  I was surprised to see, however, that there are ETL ramps being built for NB entrance/SB exit for MD 43.  I was under the impression these movements were tabled due to funding issues.

The ETL ramps at I-95 and I-695 were tabled. The bridges at MD 43 were past life expectancy and needed to be replaced anyway.

I recall that being the case with the I-695 interchange but even MDTA's own diagrams of entrances/exits only show NB exit and SB entrance to White Marsh Blvd.

[Laura]

I was in the White Marsh area this weekend and noticed the I-95 ETL project is near completion.  I was surprised to see, however, that there are ETL ramps being built for NB entrance/SB exit for MD 43.  I was under the impression these movements were tabled due to funding issues.

The ETL ramps at I-95 and I-695 were tabled. The bridges at MD 43 were past life expectancy and needed to be replaced anyway.

I recall that being the case with the I-695 interchange but even MDTA's own diagrams of entrances/exits only show NB exit and SB entrance to White Marsh Blvd.

Right. There's no need to build separate SB entrance and NB exit ramps at this point. The ETL lanes will begin/end just north of the interchange.

ETA: Mike thinks they are building them? I'll drive by and check them out shortly. (I only live like 2 miles from there).

[roadman65]

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.2391027,-76.6145037,3a,75y,270h,89.84t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1scPGu3pvMpws5x7W6jekWew!2e0
Am I seeing correct here as Richmond, VA is being directed via Exit 6 on I-895 here onto MD 3 to US 301 and not on I-95?