Howard County officials are moving forward with a road safety initiative as they try to improve the U.S Route 1 corridor in North Laurel.
In a partnership with Smart Growth America (SGA) and the Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration (SHA), a “quick-build” demonstration project is planned to be built to protect pedestrians who walk and bicyclists.
“Enhancing safety and multimodal transportation options throughout Howard County, and especially along our U.S. 1 Corridor, is one of our highest transportation priorities for our community," said County Executive Calvin Ball.
The project entails reallocating the outer travel lane on U.S. Route 1 southbound into a safer space for non-motorized road users. This corridor currently lacks the infrastructure to safely support pedestrians and cyclists.
This project is part of a larger effort to test potential road safety improvements and to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities that happen in this area.
Since 2018, there have been over 22 deaths which makes up approximately 20% of all fatal crashes in the county.
"We are proud to be working with Smart Growth America, along with the Department of Public Works and the State Highway Administration to advance the Complete Streets Leadership Academies demonstration project in North Laurel," said Clarence Dickerson, administrator of the Office of Transportation, in an interview with Howard County Government News. The project will bring to life the county's vision for streets where "people of all backgrounds can live and travel freely, safely and comfortably."
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Source: Hoodline, HowardCountyMd.gov
