Last Monday afternoon I was heading south on Interstate 95 near White Marsh and noticed that three state troopers (with their three cars and all three sets of lights flashing) had stopped somebody on the left shoulder of the northbound lanes. They were standing there talking to the guy and it created quite a scene. So much so that northbound traffic was stop and go for more than five miles. I know we?ve talked about ways that police can have an impact on traffic and this was one of them. If just two officers interrogated this guy inside one of their cars, there might not have been so much to look at. Five miles of stop-and-go traffic with no lanes blocked means wasted gas and wasted time for all.
The Crofton experiment
The intersection of Route 3 and Cronson Boulevard in Crofton is not just the site of some construction, it?s also an experiment. Over the next three weekends, state crews and a contractor will be milling the existing pavement down and installing something called “whitetopping.” This concrete is being tested there because it issupposed to resist the kind of rutting that occurs where there are a lot of trucks and a lot of turns. Both apply to this intersection which carries about 68,000 vehicles per day. During the course of the work, traffic will be reduced to a single lane and delays could be significant. I imagine that it will take a while to judge whether or not this test is a success. But if it is, then more intersections and certain stretches of road around the region could be “whitetopped.”
Redesign doesn?t save time
Rob writes: “I?m not sure who decided it was necessary to redesign the exit 15 — Route 40 entrance going north on I-695, but it actually costs me time instead of saving it.
“First off, we start with the traffic light that you must stop at if the people traveling west on Rte. 40 are turning left towards Glen Burnie. They have priority.
“Frequently, by the time I get to the next traffic light — which is on the inside of the Beltway — it?s already turned red so I have to wait another two minutes to give priority again to those traveling west on Rte. 40.
“Then you must deal with the alternating vehicles, which some people don?t get. I almost got sideswiped by someone passing me the other day. Once you?re on the Beltway, there?s very little time to merge over and you?re at the mercy of other drivers who might let you in. It?s a lot of fun during rush hour.”
The sound barrier
Richard writes with a correction: “Not that I am defending sound barriers, but the houses you refer to on Rte. 29 between Broken Land Parkway and Seneca Drive have probably been there over 40 years. Back then, Rte. 29 was probably 2 lanes and carried 1/4 the amount of traffic.”
Yes, Richard is absolutely correct. The sound barriers I was picturing are farther south on Route 29. That entire corridor carriesa lot more traffic than it did just 10 years ago, and, even though intersection improvements have made the trip a little easier for drivers to handle, it has led to an increase in noise.
Of course, that won?t stop more houses from being built right up next to the roadway — meaning even more sound walls.
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