Maryland

[TheOneKEA]

I've observed that a number of the old sodium light towers along I-70 and I-95 have disappeared over the past 10 years and have been replaced with LED street lamps with exceptionally long arms. Curiously enough, I've also observed that none of the major interchanges on I-83 ever had high mast lighting that I recall seeing, and they are also receiving new LED street lamps with the same long arms.

I have not yet seen an installation that completely replaced the high mast lighting with street lamps.

[jcn]

I've observed that a number of the old sodium light towers along I-70 and I-95 have disappeared over the past 10 years and have been replaced with LED street lamps with exceptionally long arms. Curiously enough, I've also observed that none of the major interchanges on I-83 ever had high mast lighting that I recall seeing, and they are also receiving new LED street lamps with the same long arms.

I have not yet seen an installation that completely replaced the high mast lighting with street lamps.

That is true.  Every exit on I-95 between the beltways used to have high mast lights, and those lights were mercury vapor as well.

At Exit 89, the new low level lighting is LED as well.  The new high mast lights at Exit 93 are sodium though.

[Mergingtraffic]

Drove down to Baltimore recently and noticed two button copy signs are now gone.

This one:
(replaced by a standard "West" I-70 shield and an arrow on a pole)


and the "I-83 Jones Falls Expressway 500 Feet" sign east on Druid Park Lake Drive is now gone as well.


I did notice on I-70 between I-695 and the Park & Ride there are signs saying "area under video surveillance" on the expressway itself near these signs.
Has there been crime in this area?



I removed the Flickr links because the first one seemed to be extended through the I-83 text.  -Mark

[TheOneKEA]

The westbound carriage way of I-70 between the Ingleside Avenue on-ramp and I-695 used to be a hot spot for burnouts and street racing. Even today there are still extensive tire marks on the concrete surface where the racers would do the burnouts. I suspect that this is why the area is being monitored.

[epzik8]

The westbound carriage way of I-70 between the Ingleside Avenue on-ramp and I-695 used to be a hot spot for burnouts and street racing. Even today there are still extensive tire marks on the concrete surface where the racers would do the burnouts. I suspect that this is why the area is being monitored.

The more you know!

[plain]

Drove down to Baltimore recently and noticed two button copy signs are now gone.

This one:
(replaced by a standard "West" I-70 shield and an arrow on a pole)

Well it has finally met its fate huh? Even though I like button copies this one needed to go. I'm shocked that shield was able to hang on that long (looks even worse in person, saw it in 2015) given the snowstorms in that area over the years. R.I.P. indeed.

How many button copies are left in Bmore?

Also, concerning the replacement of the high mast lighting at the exits along I-95, I kinda miss them too, especially the ones that lit up in that blueish white color.. they kinda set Maryland apart from most states. It's actually a wonder to me why they didn't install LEDs in the new high mast ones at the Tydings toll booth

[jcn]

Also, concerning the replacement of the high mast lighting at the exits along I-95, I kinda miss them too, especially the ones that lit up in that blueish white color.. they kinda set Maryland apart from most states. It's actually a wonder to me why they didn't install LEDs in the new high mast ones at the Tydings toll booth

Luckily, I do know the answer to that.  The new high mast lights are sodium because they wanted the lighting to be the same as the existing lighting that was kept like the low-level lighting at the weigh stations, and those lights used sodium vapor.

[epzik8]

Go on General Highway Talk if you want to see a thread I started about a Bel Air highway plan in Harford County from 1959. Or the mods might move it to this thread or board.

[ixnay]

The new overpass that brings MD 304 over U.S. 301 opened yesterday (08.15.2017). 

http://www.myeasternshoremd.com/qa/community/news/article_c821bd0c-11ed-5a1a-9226-7fc93e1aace3.html

CENTREVILLE – Local students, parents and officials saw their efforts at improved safety come to fruition with the opening Tuesday of a new overpass at the U.S. Route 301 and state Route 304 interchange.

The State Highway Administration began shifting Route 304 traffic onto the new bridge over U.S. 301 shortly before noon Tuesday, Aug. 15, eliminating the at-grade crossing that had been plagued by accidents, including a September 2011 crash that resulted in the death of Connor Rice, 15, of Queen Anne. Four others had died at the intersection between 2005 and 2011.

...

"Building, maintaining, and fixing Maryland's roads and bridges is crucial for highway safety across the state,"  Gov. Larry Hogan said. "This long-awaited project will directly benefit thousands of Marylanders and visitors in Queen Anne's County and the entire Eastern Shore."

According to SHA officials, the remainder of the construction is proceeding ahead of schedule as three of the four new interchange ramps have been completed; work continues on the ramp from Route 304 to U.S. 301 north. The overpass features sidewalks and wide shoulders for bicycles. Roundabouts at each end of the overpass will improve traffic flow and reduce the risk of crashes. The project also features a J-turn intersection safety upgrade at U.S. 301 and state Route 305 just to the north and a 25-space park and ride lot off Route 304 adjacent to Tidewater Drive.

When, though, will the SHA repave 301 where it crosses the MDDE railroad track that leads into Tidewater Direct publishing? 

ixnay

P.S.  The new 301/304 interchange is signed in Clearview all around.   

[froggie]

^ Aerial imagery suggests they put an RCI/J-turn in at 301/304 between 2011 and 2013.  Was that not enough?

Not that I'm knocking an interchange.  Just a bit surprised that SHA would build an interchange when they had just made intersection improvements within the past 5 years.

[Beltway]

^ Aerial imagery suggests they put an RCI/J-turn in at 301/304 between 2011 and 2013.  Was that not enough?

Not that I'm knocking an interchange.  Just a bit surprised that SHA would build an interchange when they had just made interchange improvements within the past 5 years.

I thought there wasn't an interchange there until this was built ... where did they make interchange improvements?

[froggie]

^ I meant "intersection improvements" instead of interchange (now corrected in the previous post).  Blame my iPhone and my fat fingers.

[Beltway]

^ I meant "intersection improvements" instead of interchange (now corrected in the previous post).  Blame my iPhone and my fat fingers.

Oh ok ... how major were the intersection improvements?  I hadn't been out there to see them.

Edit/update:  I see on Google Maps a superstreet configuration that looks fairly new, channelized left turns from US-301 and no median crossing for MD-304 traffic, and U-turn bays on US-301 to handle the left turns from MD-304, about 1/4 mile to the south and 1/2 mile to the north.

[cpzilliacus]

^ I meant "intersection improvements" instead of interchange (now corrected in the previous post).  Blame my iPhone and my fat fingers.

Quite a few of the at-grade intersections on U.S. 301 on the upper Eastern Shore have been modified over the past 20 years to force traffic entering or crossing from the side road to make a right regardless of destination. If the desire was to turn left onto U.S. 301 or to continue across to the  other side, drivers had to make a "U" turn at a median break built for that purpose. Somewhat unusual in other parts of the state, though the interchange at MD-3 and Waugh Chapel Road at Gambrills, Anne Arundel County, was modified in a similar manner (the "straight across" movement retained for emergency vehicles only).  I have not seen it stated formally, but the long-term MDOT/SHA goal seems to be  eventually get rid of all at-grade intersections on U.S. 301 between Queenstown and the Delaware border.

[Beltway]

Quite a few of the at-grade intersections on U.S. 301 on the upper Eastern Shore have been modified over the past 20 years to force traffic entering or crossing from the side road to make a right regardless of destination. If the desire was to turn left onto U.S. 301 or to continue across to the  other side, drivers had to make a "U" turn at a median break built for that purpose. Somewhat unusual in other parts of the state, though the interchange at MD-3 and Waugh Chapel Road at Gambrills, Anne Arundel County, was modified in a similar manner (the "straight across" movement retained for emergency vehicles only). 

Known a superstreet, or a restricted crossing U-turn (RCUT), J-turn, or reduced conflict intersection -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superstreet

I have not seen it stated formally, but the long-term MDOT/SHA goal seems to be  eventually get rid of all at-grade intersections on U.S. 301 between Queenstown and the Delaware border.

The US-301 relocation in Delaware that is under construction will be built to freeway standards.

US-301 on the upper Eastern Shore between US-50 and Delaware, was built to expressway standards, one roadway in the late 1950s and the parallel roadway in the late 1960s.

I count 19 at-grade intersections via Google Maps.  That will be a lot of work to grade separate them.

I have always found it curious that there are 3 interchanges on the northern part of this segment, apparently built in the late-1960s project.  There is no unusual topography or development that would account for building these on an otherwise at-grade route.
MD-290 (south)
MD-291
MD-290 (north)

Anyone have insight about this?

[TheOneKEA]

The US 301/MD 304 interchange was built in part due to a large number of vehicle crashes and other accidents at the site of the former intersection. Are there contemporary news articles discussing vehicle crashes and accidents on the northern portion of US 301 near the DE state line? If so, that may be why those 1960s-era interchanges were built.

[BrianP]

The MD 291 interchange dates to 1999.
http://www.roads.maryland.gov/Location/1999_Kent.pdf

I've also wondered about the reason for the MD 290 interchanges.  One thing that's odd is that both bridges at the northern interchange have no shoulders.  But the southern interchange only the northbound bridge has no shoulders.  So the southbound bridge was built later. 

And coincidentally both of those interchanges are in the middle of having the bridges rehabbed:

southern project
http://apps.roads.maryland.gov/WebProjectLifeCycle/ProjectInformation.aspx?projectno=QA2405117

northern project
http://apps.roads.maryland.gov/WebProjectLifeCycle/ProjectInformation.aspx?projectno=KE2945114

So that will probably be a piece of history soon.

[Beltway]

The MD 291 interchange dates to 1999.
http://www.roads.maryland.gov/Location/1999_Kent.pdf

I realize it says it was a new interchange in 1999, but that may simply mean a full replacement, including installing the two roundabouts, and I see that there is a very recent vintage overpass bridge.  I'm pretty sure that was the junction that had an overpass bridge and ramps back in the early 1970s when I first drove the highway.  So they may have replaced the overpass bridge in 1999 as well.

[BrianP]

historicaerials.com shows no signs of an interchange there in the 1970's (topo only) and early 90's (topo and poor quality aerials).  Granted they are not fool proof.  Since they have a topo map that they list as 1971 which doesn't show the US 301 highway at all.  The map only covers from MD 291 north to MD 290.  So the date of that map seems wrong. 

[Beltway]

historicaerials.com shows no signs of an interchange there in the 1970's (topo only) and early 90's (topo and poor quality aerials).  Granted they are not fool proof.  Since they have a topo map that they list as 1971 which doesn't show the US 301 highway at all.  The map only covers from MD 291 north to MD 290.  So the date of that map seems wrong. 

I need to get an old Maryland map when I get back to the house.  My review of Google Maps shows the current configuration and new bridge, but I see no signs of an older intersection there such as changes in grading and seeding, all the ground and seeding looks older.  That is why I suspected that an old bridge was closed and replaced at the same location.  This deserves some more research.

[Mapmikey]

historicaerials.com shows no signs of an interchange there in the 1970's (topo only) and early 90's (topo and poor quality aerials).  Granted they are not fool proof.  Since they have a topo map that they list as 1971 which doesn't show the US 301 highway at all.  The map only covers from MD 291 north to MD 290.  So the date of that map seems wrong. 

I need to get an old Maryland map when I get back to the house.  My review of Google Maps shows the current configuration and new bridge, but I see no signs of an older intersection there such as changes in grading and seeding, all the ground and seeding looks older.  That is why I suspected that an old bridge was closed and replaced at the same location.  This deserves some more research.

State Highway Reference Locator does not show a structure at all for US 301 at MD 291 prior to the 1999 issue.  http://guide.mdsa.net/pages/series.aspx?id=S1870

1992 Historic Aerial clearly shows an at-grade intersection there.  Comparison with more recent views show bridge was built essentially in the same location of how 291 crossed 301.

The northern 290 interchange used to be different - see the 1956 aerial which shows there was a 2-way road connecting 301 and 290 that has been removed entirely but was located in the northwest quadrant and used essentially the SB offramp location.  The topography here made grade separation a near-necessity as both 301 and 290 are both flat through their crossing.

The southern 290 interchange was originally configured just like the northern one (per 1959 topo) but converted into the current configuration by the 1976 topo.

[Beltway]

historicaerials.com shows no signs of an interchange there in the 1970's (topo only) and early 90's (topo and poor quality aerials).  Granted they are not fool proof.  Since they have a topo map that they list as 1971 which doesn't show the US 301 highway at all.  The map only covers from MD 291 north to MD 290.  So the date of that map seems wrong. 

I need to get an old Maryland map when I get back to the house.  My review of Google Maps shows the current configuration and new bridge, but I see no signs of an older intersection there such as changes in grading and seeding, all the ground and seeding looks older.  That is why I suspected that an old bridge was closed and replaced at the same location.  This deserves some more research.

State Highway Reference Locator does not show a structure at all for US 301 at MD 291 prior to the 1999 issue.  http://guide.mdsa.net/pages/series.aspx?id=S1870
1992 Historic Aerial clearly shows an at-grade intersection there.  Comparison with more recent views show bridge was built essentially in the same location of how 291 crossed 301.

That is odd ... I thought there was a third interchange up there when I first drove it in the 1970s.

I just now looked at a 1971 Maryland official highway map, and it only shows the two MD-290 interchanges.

The northern 290 interchange used to be different - see the 1956 aerial which shows there was a 2-way road connecting 301 and 290 that has been removed entirely but was located in the northwest quadrant and used essentially the SB offramp location.  The topography here made grade separation a near-necessity as both 301 and 290 are both flat through their crossing.

How would flat terrain necessitate a grade separation between two highways?

The southern 290 interchange was originally configured just like the northern one (per 1959 topo) but converted into the current configuration by the 1976 topo.

That would mean that when US-301 was originally built as a 2-lane highway that those interchanges were built then.

I was out there today after visiting my dad on the Eastern Shore --

-- The MD-213 interchange was built in 1994 per the date plate on the bridge

-- The MD-304 interchange is still under construction, the bridge and MD-304 connection is open and the two roundabouts are open and three of the ramps are open.  The ramp from MD-304 to US-301 NB has a major fill section still under construction, it will probably take about 3 months to complete that.

-- Did not drive to MD-291.

So why did they build these three US-301 interchanges in the last 23 years, when they still have not built the much-more-needed interchanges at US-50/MD-213 and US-50/MD-404?  There are clear safety and efficiency justifications for the US-301 interchanges, but those two US-50 junctions are major traffic congestion points, in addition to having safety and efficiency problems.  I don't think that those two projects are even in the CTP yet for construction.

The 12 miles of MD-404 widening from US-50 to the Denton Bypass -- three miles is open and the rest is nearing completion, but maybe 6 to 9 months from everything being open.

[Mapmikey]

The northern 290 interchange used to be different - see the 1956 aerial which shows there was a 2-way road connecting 301 and 290 that has been removed entirely but was located in the northwest quadrant and used essentially the SB offramp location.  The topography here made grade separation a near-necessity as both 301 and 290 are both flat through their crossing.

How would flat terrain necessitate a grade separation between two highways?

I wrote this sentence poorly.  I was trying to suggest that both roads appear to be nearly flat where they cross one another but on different planes.  It appears that building the 301 bridge over 290 with a connecting road was easier than digging out a bunch of earth on both sides of 290 so that they could have an at-grade intersection.

A very detailed topo map shows that 290 might have been lowered a little bit through the interchange area

[Beltway]

The northern 290 interchange used to be different - see the 1956 aerial which shows there was a 2-way road connecting 301 and 290 that has been removed entirely but was located in the northwest quadrant and used essentially the SB offramp location.  The topography here made grade separation a near-necessity as both 301 and 290 are both flat through their crossing.

How would flat terrain necessitate a grade separation between two highways?

I wrote this sentence poorly.  I was trying to suggest that both roads appear to be nearly flat where they cross one another but on different planes.  It appears that building the 301 bridge over 290 with a connecting road was easier than digging out a bunch of earth on both sides of 290 so that they could have an at-grade intersection.
A very detailed topo map shows that 290 might have been lowered a little bit through the interchange area

I can picture that, kind of like how I-95 passes over VA-630 at Stafford, with I-95 on a fairly flat grade.

I need to go look at those two US-301 interchanges sometime, it has been at least 15 years.

[TheOneKEA]

Governor Hogan and several MDOT SHA personnel held a groundbreaking ceremony and press conference for the widening of MD 32 between MD 108 (Exit 20) and Linden Church Road in Howard County. The tweet from MDOT states that this project is beginning 9 months earlier than anticipated, which is GOOD NEWS.

Next up is the widening between Linden Church Road and I-70, beginning in 2019, and after that the widening north of I-70, according to the Baltimore Sun. Like I said a while ago, this is one of the most important projects that should have happened 15 years ago, and it's good that it is finally happening!