Towson circle work scheduled for this month

Construction crews will begin a major makeover on a downtown Towson traffic circle this month, a project business owners say could win back would-be shoppers who dread the high-traffic roundabout.

Officials said Wednesday that they hope to complete new traffic patterns around the circle and reduce York Rod between the roundabout and Towsontown Boulevard by June 18. The changes will add parking on both sides of a three-block section of York Road, slowing traffic and easing pedestrian access to businesses, shops and restaurants, said Nancy Hafford, director of the Towson Chamber of Commerce.