US 1 Safety

US 1 Safety Evaluation

The Office of Transportation and Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration presented and discussed the findings of the evaluation at two public meetings:

Meeting 1: September 27, 2018 at 7 p.m. held at Savage Fire Station Community Room, 8521 Corridor Road, Savage
Meeting 2: October 11, 2018 at 7 p.m. held at Elkridge Branch Library Hockley Room, 6540 Washington Boulevard, Elkridge

Overview

Howard County undertook a US 1 Safety Evaluation to identify short-term actions to improve safety for people walking and bicycling along US 1. Safety for other transportation modes—motor vehicles and transit—was also considered. US 1 is a historically commercial and industrial corridor that has more recently seen new residential and mixed-use development.

The Evaluation’s geographic scope was US 1 in Howard County between the Baltimore and Prince George’s County lines. Within this 10.9-mile corridor, the Evaluation identified four focus areas for detailed study based on historical crash data, known areas with high pedestrian/bicycle activity, and input from county departments, state agencies, and the public. Field visits were been made to these locations/segments to assess how current conditions contribute to existing hazards. The Evaluation process then developed short-term actions that can address hazards.

The Evaluation’s focus was on short term actions rather than broader and future issues for the US 1 corridor, such as major intersection improvements and future road cross sections. The Evaluation also identify longer term needs and items for consideration in future planning, which will be carried forward into the General Plan Update, HoCo By Design, an effort led by the Department of Planning and Zoning (Information on the original US 1 Master Plan effort can be found here).

In the fall of 2017, the Office of Transportation hosted all-day, drop-in, open houses in Elkridge and North Laurel to solicit public input about transportation safety in the US 1 Corridor. The purpose of the open houses was to allow the public to “drop-in” any time at their convenience, review information gathered by the Office of Transportation and share their personal knowledge and experience regarding safety walking, bicycling, driving or using transit along US 1.

The Howard County Office of Transportation has led the study in partnership with the Maryland Department of Transportation (State Highway Administration, Motor Vehicle Administration, and Maryland Transit Administration), Baltimore Metropolitan Council, and the Howard County Departments of Public Works, Police, Fire and Rescue Services, Planning and Zoning, and Health.

Implementation Update

Through coordination between MDOT SHA and Howard County, the five proposed improvements in Appendix I are being implemented. These are:

1. Road diet lane repurposing for a buffered bike lane from Prince George’s County Line to Davis Avenue

2. Pedestrian activated signal at Brewers Court

3. Signal upgrade retrofit for pedestrian signals at Guilford Road and new sidewalk

4. Signal upgrade retrofit for pedestrian signals at Rowanberry Avenue and new sidewalk

5. Pedestrian activated signal at Doctor Patel Drive and new sidewalk

Improvements 2 through 5 are scheduled for construction in 2022.

Improvement 1 is scheduled for construction when that portion of the roadway is resurfaced.

Route 1 Resources

Route 1 Manual

The purpose of the Route 1 Manual is to present requirements and recommendations to: improve the visual appearance of the corridor's streetscape, enhance the appearance and value of developments in the corridor, and establish the desired design character for new developments in the Corridor Employment (CE), Transit Oriented Development (TOD), and Corridor Activity Center (CAC) Districts.