Traffic congestion on a dangerous stretch of Route 32 has gotten worse, and state highway officials hope a new interchange at Route 32 and Burntwoods Road will fix the problem.
“When you keep traffic moving consistently, then you improve safety,” said Chuck Gischlar, spokesman for Maryland Department of Transportation?s State Highway Administration.
“It?s when you are starting and stopping that you see crashes occur.”
The intersection has had an average of three major crashes a year since 2000, according to SHA.
Western Howard?s $30-million interchange will remove two traffic signals and relocate several driveways and roads that access the route, according to SHA.
The project, which could take about two years to complete, will include two roundabouts and on and off ramps.
The Route 32 corridor between Route 108 and Interstate 70 has been eyed for upgrades for more than a decade, but funding isn?t available for the entire stretch, Gischlar said.
A group of residents oppose thestate?s plan to widen the two-lane stretch of Route 32, said Jim Irvin, Howard County?s director of Public Works, referring to arguments that road widening would spur more development and lead to a loss of open space.
This interchange project will include a slight widening, but it will still be a two-lane highway, Gischlar said.
Parts of Ivory, Pfefferkorn, Ten Oaks, Burntwoods and East Ivory roads will be closed to accommodate the construction, according to a County Council resolution passed in May authorizing the closures.
“We think it?s an important project because of the safety issues,” Irvin said.
WHAT TO EXPECT
» Single lanes will be closed along Route 32 between 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. on weekdays.
» Lanes also may be closed along Ten Oaks, Pfefferkorn and Burntwoods roads between 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. on weekdays.
Source: State Highway Administration
