Route 1 through Elkridge in Howard County could grow to six lanes in some places, but the challenge will be designing the road to handle growing traffic and making it pedestrian-friendly.
“It?s a difficult issue, because it varies some from the initial Route 1 manual,” said Harriet Levine, state project manager on the Route 1 corridor improvement, referring to Howard?s guidelines for land use and site design that define the road as four lanes in most places.
Levine joined other state and county officials and consultants for the second Route 1 Corridor Improvement advisory committee meeting Tuesday in Elkridge.
Based on traffic studies, the state?s recommendations include six lanes ? expanding from 60 to 100 feet to roughly 120 to 130 feet ? for better traffic operations, smaller intersections and fewer turn lanes, Levine said.
Even with six lanes, the road likely will narrow in areas such as North Laurel, to accommodate the existing surroundings, she said.
Officials are approaching the corridor improvement from an urban design perspective, Levine said, striving to design a “livable, walkable design” that meets the transportation goals.
The road widening is a “conflict point,” said Steve Lafferty, deputy director for the county?s Department of Planning and Zoning.
The State Highway Administration wants to accommodate the increasing traffic along Interstates 95 and 295, and the county is concerned with pedestrian activity and near-street parking, he said.
Planners are looking at other successful six-lane roads, such as Ocean City and Bethesda, where the main routes are walkable, and traffic can easily access side roads.
In Ocean City, the main route is split up with cross streets about every 300 feet and signals every 900 feet.
This is a contrast to the current Route 1 intersections that are about half a mile apart, said Charlie Bailey of the urban planning group Mahan Rykiel Associates Inc.
Officials don?t wantto replicate these other areas, but they can provide guidance on what works in a six-lane, pedestrian-friendly road, he said.
