The following is an op-ed piece from Delegates Kathy Szeliga and Ryan Nawrocki.
It’s official. A new traffic roundabout is coming to Perry Hall on Honeygo Boulevard. Growth in the entire area and ensuing traffic on Honeygo Boulevard have made it dangerous for local residents to get in and out of their communities, especially during rush hour.
Last month, our office attended a community meeting regarding a proposal for a new traffic pattern on Honeygo Boulevard in Perry Hall. The Baltimore County Department of Public Works and Transportation hosted the meeting for residents, community leaders, and businesses. The intersection in question is located at Honeygo Boulevard and Cross Road, just south of Angel Park and north of the Honeygo Village Center. The existing Cross Road northbound and southbound movements often operate poorly and dangerously, and we realize residents need help to turn onto Honeygo Boulevard safely. A review of the proposed project began in July 2022, and studies showed that the intersection did not qualify for a traffic signal. A formal traffic study, survey, and 30% roundabout design have been completed. A single-lane roundabout was considered but is not recommended due to excessive vehicle backups and below-average performance. A dual lane will also better allow for future growth. Design and construction funding are currently available in the County’s capital budget.
During the meeting, the design for the dual-lane roundabout was detailed. It would include the following features: 1) 5’ sidewalks with pedestrian crossings and refuge islands; 2) Landscaping within the central island; 3) Street lighting; 4) Stormwater management provided via a bioretention facility on Cross Road; 5) Pedestrian signals and beacons are to be determined. The roundabout would have a 145’ diameter to accommodate semi-trailers and school buses.
As is typical with these types of projects, there would be an impact on the surrounding properties, including land acquisition. Four individual properties would be impacted, including one driveway relocation. The total area of non-county-owned property needed is 11,700 square feet or 0.25 acres. Local utilities will be affected, including an overhead pole, a guy pole or support pole, a street light, and a fire hydrant, which must be relocated. These are complex tasks and will naturally impact the local community for an extended period of time during construction. There will be one lane in each direction open each way during construction.
The meeting concluded with an overview of the next steps, including finalizing the design, preparing plans, negotiating with property owners, and coordinating with BGE, Comcast, and Verizon. The proposal will cost approximately $2 million and begin construction in Spring 2025. Several interim measures were proposed that may take place over the next 18 months before construction. To begin training motorists to no longer be able to turn left onto Honeygo Boulevard, new signage and pavement markings may be installed to restrict right-in and right-out access only. In addition to no left turn access, there may be no through movement across Honeygo Boulevard either. Flexi-posts may be installed to restrict vehicular movements and enforce these new policies. Baltimore County offered these alternate routes to residents who don’t want to face these changes: For southbound drivers, either take Chapel Road to Belair Road or Joppa Road, or for northbound drivers, either take Gunpowder Farm Road and Forge Road to Perry Farm Road to Gerst Road. These changes were announced to begin as early as mid-December. As of today, we were informed by Baltimore County officials that the interim plans have been postponed until further notice.
It is essential that residents are aware of these upcoming changes, and we thank them for their patience during this process. We applaud Councilman David Marks, who worked with County Executive Olszewski to secure at least $2 million in the budget for the project, which is needed to improve safety at this dangerous intersection. We will continue providing more updates and information about timing, or traffic pattern changes when they become available.
