Closing a Howard County ramp residents are calling dangerous is possible, but could jeopardize drivers’ safety, according to the State Highway Administration.
The ramp leads from the northbound Route 29 lanes to westbound Interstate 70, and requires drivers to cross over the southbound lanes of Route 29, which many call too risky given highway speeds and high traffic volume.
“Technically, we can close the ramp, but if you do something like that, you can have unintended consequences,” said Chuck Gischlar, spokesman for the SHA.
“This can be safety issues like longer traffic queues and backups.”
The ramp residents call “dangerous” is on the left side of Route 29, but there’s also an exit to westbound I-70 on the right. Closing the ramp would force drivers looking to exit to use the right, cloverleaf ramp.
“We’re taking this issue very seriously, but safety is our number one priority,” Gischlar said.
Right now, state highway officials are in the midst of an independent review of the intersection, in which they collect data such as traffic volume.
The issue came up at a staff meeting last week, in which officials said they were awaiting a fatal accident report from police to further help in the intersection evaluation.
In July, Andrew Noel, 19, of Ellicott City, died at the questioned intersection, leading many to campaign for changes to the road.
In the past, officials said there have been relatively few accidents at the ramp since it was constructed in 2002, averaging only about one or two per year.
Still, many residents are calling on the state to temporarily close the ramp or at least make it safer, saying it forces them to play a game of “chicken” when deciding to cross the southbound lanes.
“When drivers perceive they have waited too long, they inch out and play chicken with the southbound vehicles, said Mike and Linda Dombrowski of Ellicott City, in an e-mail to the county in support of changes.
“We suppose they are putting their faith in the belief that we’re used to rash, mad dashes across and we will step on the brake quickly enough. Crossover offenders include trucks, cars, public safety vehicles and school buses.”
County Executive Ken Ulman also acknowledged the ramp was state issue, but said he understands the community’s concerns. He himself has taken the ramp many times, and said his staff is working with the SHA.
“It is a state highway, but we can be advocates,” he said. “We think there can be ways to make it safer.”
