Thanks to everyone who reviewed and provided feedback on the new intersection concepts developed by the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) for our community. The results of the community poll showed 60% of the community favored design concept 4 and 46% favored concept 1B as the alternate choice.  Thanks too for the many questions which were compiled into a list and submitted to SHA; the responses will be posted on this website when they are received.

SHA has cautioned that a final design is very much a “moving target”; as they examine concepts in more detail, engineering and regulatory issues may require changes to or elimination of concepts.

On July 16, SHA provided a status update to the Rivers Edge Road focus group.  Since April, when SHA introduced a number of preliminary intersection design concepts and shared them with us, their engineering team has performed more detailed analyses of each concept. The engineers examined impacts to environmentally protected areas and performed 3-dimensional (cross-sectional) studies of the terrain to understand what each concept would require with regard to roads and highway safety standards.  This review identified some major obstacles and, unfortunately, eliminated design concepts # 2, 2B and 4 as well as a new concept 5 that was similar to 4.  Undergoing further engineering analyses are design concepts 1 A/B, and 1C (all underpasses located at Rivers Edge Road, and not overpasses as previously communicated). Also, undergoing further review is design concept 3, which is an overpass extension of Vista Road.

SHA provided a detailed chart identifying the factors considered for each design.

Summary of designs still under consideration:

CONCEPTS 1A/B, & 1C ARE SIMILAR, VARYING MAINLY IN ENGINEERING DETAILS; ACCESS TO/FROM ROUTE29 IS PROVIDED BY:

• Extending the on-ramp from Rivers Edge Road to southbound Route 29 (would be doubled in length) to meet highway safety standards
• The off-ramp from Route 29 southbound to Rivers Edge Road would be extended and shifted to allow grade changes required for the construction of an underpass.
• An underpass would be built under Route 29 connecting Rivers Edge Road with Old Columbia Road on the other side.
• New on/off ramps would be built just south of the underpass from Old Columbia Road to provide access to/from northbound Route 29.
• Impacts discussed include removal a structure on each side of Route 29 including an existing home in our community and installation of sound barriers.
• During construction, the existing traffic signal would be removed and community access would be limited to right-in/right-out using southbound Route 29. To go north you would head south to Johns Hopkins Road then loop onto Route 29 northbound. To get to our community from points south you would pass the community on US 29 northbound then take the cloverleaf at Route 32 to loop onto Route 29 southbound.

CONCEPT 3 PROVIDES ACCESS TO/FROM ROUTE 29 BY:

• Extending the on-ramp from Rivers Edge Road to southbound Route 29 (would be doubled in length) to meet highway safety standards
• An overpass would be built over Route 29 connecting Vista Road with Old Columbia Road on the other side.
• New on/off ramps would be built to provide access to/from northbound Route 29 from Old Columbia Road.
• Impacts discussed include removal of a structure on the east side of Route 29 (not in our community) and installation of sound barriers.
• SHA stated that traffic studies conclude that the effect of traffic on the community by the Vista Road overpass would be minimal. However, the possible need for sidewalks on Longview Road due to increased traffic related to this concept is a county responsibility and is being investigated for the Focus Group. Contact has already been made with the County to discuss the need for sidewalks along Vista Rd and a request will be made to have a County representative available at the September meeting.
• During construction of the Vista Road overpass and associated ramps, access to and from the community would remain as existing at Rivers Edge Road.

Summary of designs that have been eliminated:

• Concept 2 was removed from consideration because the Rivers Edge Road ramp tie-in failed to meet the AASHTO minimum intersection spacing guidance. Attempts to resolve the spacing problem (a new Concept 2B) yielded ramps that would be excessively steep (10% grade).
• Concept 4 and Concept 5 were removed from further consideration because they required making substantial changes to Old Columbia Road that turned out not to be feasible because:
  • They impinged on an environmentally protected area (a Conservation Easement)
  • There were large changes in elevation (big hills) in the way that would would require excessive earthwork
  • The elevation changes would result in roads with unacceptable grades (too steep).

SHA and their engineering team continue to provide visibility into their processes and engineering. The focus group will meet with SHA again in August for another status update before a public meeting planned for September at Atholton High School; the meeting date and time will be posted on this website and sent to the community email list.

[kpvc_single]