Maryland

[NJRoadfan]

The I-95 ETLs have been open for close to 2 months.

[MillTheRoadgeek]

The I-95 ETLs have been open for close to 2 months.

I know, but I'm talking about the time it took to work on the project. I have edited it to put everything in past tense, as I did not know it was open until after posting.

[Roadrunner75]

The I-95 ETLs have been open for close to 2 months.

How have they done so far with traffic?  I've been up and down 95 between NJ and DC twice the past two weekends, and there were practically tumbleweeds blowing across them, while the "free" lanes had a good amount of Saturday traffic.  I think the sign was showing $1.65 for the full length at the time.  I opted out.  I assume they're doing well for the weekday rush hours?

I also got to try out the ICC for the first time.  On a Saturday afternoon, I was the only car going WB for a good while, after entering from 95.

[mrsman]

The I-95 ETLs have been open for close to 2 months.

How have they done so far with traffic?  I've been up and down 95 between NJ and DC twice the past two weekends, and there were practically tumbleweeds blowing across them, while the "free" lanes had a good amount of Saturday traffic.  I think the sign was showing $1.65 for the full length at the time.  I opted out.  I assume they're doing well for the weekday rush hours?

I also got to try out the ICC for the first time.  On a Saturday afternoon, I was the only car going WB for a good while, after entering from 95.

IMO, the roads are a waste of your toll dollars for most of the day.  The ICC is a great alternate when traffic is bad, or if for some reason you go all the way from Laurel to Gaithersburg, but because I live about 2 miles south of the middle of the ICC, I'm very unlikely to head along the whole road.  There are some good quality surface roads with few traffic lights that do the job almost as well at times other than rush hour.  This is why the ICC is less traveled and a speed trap and generally feels empty.

The I-95 ETLs are the same way.  This road is very directional in traffic and traffic is only an issue for rush hours.  Like you, I've never had the occasion to use I-95 north of Baltimore at any time when it isn't free flowing.  Plus, there is no connection from 695 to the ETL, the ETLs lead you to/from the tunnels only. 

I was able to try them out during the free trial period and one problem that I noticed was that they were only one lane each direction south of the 95/895 split to the respective tunnel.  Meaning that you can be stuck behind a slow driver with no opportunity to pass.  Again, it might make sense during rush hour but at other times, you'd be going slower and paying a toll for the privilege.

[Roadrunner75]

The I-95 ETLs have been open for close to 2 months.

How have they done so far with traffic?  I've been up and down 95 between NJ and DC twice the past two weekends, and there were practically tumbleweeds blowing across them, while the "free" lanes had a good amount of Saturday traffic.  I think the sign was showing $1.65 for the full length at the time.  I opted out.  I assume they're doing well for the weekday rush hours?

I also got to try out the ICC for the first time.  On a Saturday afternoon, I was the only car going WB for a good while, after entering from 95.

IMO, the roads are a waste of your toll dollars for most of the day.  The ICC is a great alternate when traffic is bad, or if for some reason you go all the way from Laurel to Gaithersburg, but because I live about 2 miles south of the middle of the ICC, I'm very unlikely to head along the whole road.  There are some good quality surface roads with few traffic lights that do the job almost as well at times other than rush hour.  This is why the ICC is less traveled and a speed trap and generally feels empty.

The I-95 ETLs are the same way.  This road is very directional in traffic and traffic is only an issue for rush hours.  Like you, I've never had the occasion to use I-95 north of Baltimore at any time when it isn't free flowing.  Plus, there is no connection from 695 to the ETL, the ETLs lead you to/from the tunnels only. 

I was able to try them out during the free trial period and one problem that I noticed was that they were only one lane each direction south of the 95/895 split to the respective tunnel.  Meaning that you can be stuck behind a slow driver with no opportunity to pass.  Again, it might make sense during rush hour but at other times, you'd be going slower and paying a toll for the privilege.

When you say 'speedtrap' for the ICC, do you mean cameras as well?  Should I be expecting something in the mail in the next week or so?  I was surprised at all the speed cameras on the local roads in the area (I was visiting the Rockville/Bethesda area), and then I found out that Montgomery Co. can have them anywhere, as opposed to the rest of state (correct me if I'm wrong) where they need to be in school or construction zones.  I like visiting MD, but the speed cameras (in DC as well) really bother me. 

As for the I-95 ETLs, I assume they were primarily created to provide a bypass of the beltway interchange?  Does that take a significant chunk out of the rush hour traffic, or should they have provided beltway access as well?

[cpzilliacus]

When you say 'speedtrap' for the ICC, do you mean cameras as well?  Should I be expecting something in the mail in the next week or so?  I was surprised at all the speed cameras on the local roads in the area (I was visiting the Rockville/Bethesda area), and then I found out that Montgomery Co. can have them anywhere, as opposed to the rest of state (correct me if I'm wrong) where they need to be in school or construction zones.  I like visiting MD, but the speed cameras (in DC as well) really bother me.

There are no speed cameras on Md. 200.  However, for the first year or two of operation, speed limits (first 55 MPH, then raised to 60 MPH along most of its length) on the road were very strictly enforced by the Maryland Transportation Authority Police.  Less so recently, though speeding carries a higher risk of a ticket than on most others in the state, except at the new far east end (east of I-95), where enforcement appears to be very strict (and the speed limit is 55 MPH, falling to 40 as the road approaches its east end at U.S. 1).

Montgomery County can put speed cameras up in well-defined places on county- and "free" state-maintained roads (especially approaching and passing schools), but not on Md. 200 (the only toll road in the county).

As for the I-95 ETLs, I assume they were primarily created to provide a bypass of the beltway interchange?  Does that take a significant chunk out of the rush hour traffic, or should they have provided beltway access as well?

They were created as part of a plan to extend them much further north (east) possibly as far as Md. 155 (Exit 89, just prior to the Susquehanna River and in the far, far future, even across the river (which would require the construction of a new bridge for a lot of money)).

The section of I-95 north of Baltimore suffers from severe congestion at times.  Yes, it does indeed bypass the I-695 interchange (with no access at this time, though the stub ramps can be seen), but bypassing that congestion is more what the I-95 ETLs are about.

[1995hoo]

In addition, don't forget Maryland state law requires the speed cameras give you a 12-mph cushion (e.g., if the speed limit is 65, the camera is not supposed to ticket you unless you're exceeding 77 mph).

[MillTheRoadgeek]

Alright... I'm not being bossy, but seems like we've gotten a little off-topic with my questions, ever since Roadrunner corrected me. Anyone care to answer them?

[1995hoo]

I don't have firm answers to either question, but I suspect one reason the Virginia project was finished so much more quickly was Virginia's PPTA system in which a private corporation built and operates the lanes. Maryland doesn't have a comparable law and a state agency built the lanes there. I suspect the private corporation had that much more incentive to do the job quickly so they could start recovering toll revenues; also, I understand there were severe funding issues with the Maryland project.

[Roadrunner75]

Alright... I'm not being bossy, but seems like we've gotten a little off-topic with my questions, ever since Roadrunner corrected me. Anyone care to answer them?

Correction:  It was other Garden State Parkway guy who corrected you......if I recall correctly.

[froggie]

In addition, don't forget Maryland state law requires the speed cameras give you a 12-mph cushion

Does this also apply to the pre-existing MoCo cameras?  My impression was "no".  I was under the impression that the 12MPH-over only applies to the road construction and school zone cameras that the new(er) state law allowed.

[Roadrunner75]

In addition, don't forget Maryland state law requires the speed cameras give you a 12-mph cushion

Does this also apply to the pre-existing MoCo cameras?  My impression was "no".  I was under the impression that the 12MPH-over only applies to the road construction and school zone cameras that the new(er) state law allowed.

This would support what I was told by a guy who lived in the county last week.  I asked about the amount of leeway over the limit, as I had heard about the 12mph rule.  He told me he's gotten a bunch of tickets for - if I recall correctly (and him as well) - as little as 5 mph over.

[1995hoo]

In addition, don't forget Maryland state law requires the speed cameras give you a 12-mph cushion

Does this also apply to the pre-existing MoCo cameras?  My impression was "no".  I was under the impression that the 12MPH-over only applies to the road construction and school zone cameras that the new(er) state law allowed.

I don't know. Everything I've seen in the media referred to the 12-mph limit, but of course media reports are not determinative.

Put it this way, when I pass a location I know to have a camera, such as going between I-270 and downtown Rockville, I just slow down, same as I do in DC, because I don't necessarily trust the cameras to be calibrated properly. I usually slow down in school zones anyway unless it's very obvious school's not in session (such as a weekend).

[davewiecking]

From WTOP.com: WASHINGTON – A woman in Prince George's County got an unwelcome surprise on Tuesday when a big chunk of concrete fell onto her car.

ABC7 reports that it happened on Suitland Road, where the road crosses underneath a Interstate-495 overpass in Morningside, just before 5 p.m.

Katherine Dean wasn't hurt, but her car suffered a lot of damage. She was driving the car that was hit. She told ABC7 that she was "in shock, because it felt like a bomb hit my car."

ABC7 adds that state records show the bridge was listed as one of 81 "structurally deficient"  bridges in Maryland in 2014.

That designation doesn't mean the bridges are unsafe, but that they need work. The one on Suitland Road is on a list for repairs.

A spokesman for the Maryland State Highway Administration told ABC7 that the bridge was assessed Tuesday night and would remain open Wednesday, when a more thorough investigation would be conducted.

[Roadrunner75]

In addition, don't forget Maryland state law requires the speed cameras give you a 12-mph cushion

Does this also apply to the pre-existing MoCo cameras?  My impression was "no".  I was under the impression that the 12MPH-over only applies to the road construction and school zone cameras that the new(er) state law allowed.

I don't know. Everything I've seen in the media referred to the 12-mph limit, but of course media reports are not determinative.

Put it this way, when I pass a location I know to have a camera, such as going between I-270 and downtown Rockville, I just slow down, same as I do in DC, because I don't necessarily trust the cameras to be calibrated properly. I usually slow down in school zones anyway unless it's very obvious school's not in session (such as a weekend).

According to this page on the Montgomery County PD's website, the speed cameras allow for up to the additional 12mph:
http://www.mymcpnews.com/divisions-2/field-services-bureau/traffic-division/ateu/
They also apparently are only in residential zones with 35 mph limits or less or in school zones.  I assume then, that for any road in the county or anywhere else in the state with a limit of 40mph or above, that the cameras can then be only in construction zones.

[BrianP]

In addition, don't forget Maryland state law requires the speed cameras give you a 12-mph cushion

Does this also apply to the pre-existing MoCo cameras?  My impression was "no".  I was under the impression that the 12MPH-over only applies to the road construction and school zone cameras that the new(er) state law allowed.

Yes it does apply to existing cameras.  The county was crying over lost revenue due to the changes because of the state law.
http://ww2.gazette.net/stories/10212009/montnew190242_32521.shtml
The only part that's different about Montgomery County is this:

Montgomery County was fortunate to retain a provision that allows enforcement in residential zones, Bronrott said. Other jurisdictions are only permitted to use the cameras in work or school zones.

[cpzilliacus]

ABC7 adds that state records show the bridge was listed as one of 81 "structurally deficient"  bridges in Maryland in 2014.

That designation doesn't mean the bridges are unsafe, but that they need work. The one on Suitland Road is on a list for repairs.

This bridge is essentially unchanged since it was constructed in 1964, and needs (at a minimum) to have its deck replaced.

[davewiecking]

At a bare minimum, this bridge is a candidate for a "put lots of 2x12's across the bottoms of the girders to catch the falling debris" project.

[Mergingtraffic]

Baltimore people: Do you know what the box next to the ghost I-170 shield said?

[/url]

and
if you look closely you can see the signs said "Harbor City" and that the "SOUTH" & "NORTH" was added later.  So what was below "Harbor City" and why and when was it changed?

[1995hoo]

Harbor City Boulevard was the original name of that street. It was re-named for King around 1982. The first bill to make that changed was introduced in 1972 by the late Ike Dixon, a state legislator from Baltimore, but it took ten years to get it passed.

I don't know whether the signs said "Boulevard" or "Blvd" underneath "Harbor City" because I was a little kid back then. Don't think we ever went to Baltimore, either (especially seeing as how the Harbor Tunnel and Key Bridge were the two main thru routes at the time with I-95 being unfinished).

[NE2]

Baltimore people: Do you know what the box next to the ghost I-170 shield said?

TO? That would make sense if US 40 stayed on Franklin while I-170 existed.

[Mergingtraffic]

also added quite a few Baltimore pics on my Flickr via my alias: Merging Traffic:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/98731835@N05/

[cpzilliacus]

Baltimore Sun: Beltway widening to increase ease for drivers but noise for neighbors

A massive construction project to widen the southwest section of the Beltway is intended to ease congestion for drivers, but those who live nearby say it's coming at the cost of more noise and disruption for their neighborhoods.

Crews are set to begin adding a fourth lane to the outer loop of Interstate 695 between the Baltimore National Pike and Frederick Road this summer as part of a four-year, $117 million undertaking.

"It's an investment for the future," said Teal Cary, executive director of the Catonsville Chamber of Commerce.

The area may be suffering construction fatigue, with the Frederick Avenue bridge over the Beltway finally completed last fall, but Cary says the results have been worth the inconvenience.

[kj3400]

It feels like the southwest end of the beltway has been under construction for like 10 years. Between the approach to I-95, the Frederick Rd bridge, and Wilkens Av., I don't think there's been a period where that part's not had orange signs on some part of it.

[MASTERNC]

It feels like the southwest end of the beltway has been under construction for like 10 years. Between the approach to I-95, the Frederick Rd bridge, and Wilkens Av., I don't think there's been a period where that parts not had orange signs on some part of it.

That, and one big speed camera zone