Prince Frederick, MD – In a memo to state officials, former county commissioner and current Deputy County Administrator Wilson Parran calls Route 231 “a major commuter thoroughfare for Calvert County.” The state road, which links Calvert and Charles counties via the Benedict Bridge, has several intersections of concern on its Calvert side. Five intersection projects were the focus of a work session conducted Tuesday, March 5 by the Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration (SHA) during the county commissioners’ weekly meeting. The SHA District 5 Engineer Corren Johnson and Deputy Engineer Kimberly Tran gave the four commissioners present an overview of plans for the intersections.
Route 231 is a two-lane, undivided highway, classified as a “principal arterial road,” which delivers traffic from collector roads to larger busier highways. In the case of 231, that would be Route 5 to the west and Route 2/4 to the east. An average of between 11,900 to 20,690 daily travel on Route 231, which has speed limits of between 40 to 50 miles per hour.
The previous board of county commissioners identified Route 231 as a major priority and requested that SHA conduct a “corridor study” for safety and level of service improvements at several intersections.
Tran stated that a radar study was conducted by highway officials. Perhaps the most surprising revelation of the work session was that state officials have determined a traffic signal at the dicey Route 231-Stafford Road intersection is “not justified.” Tran said “the sight distances are adequate.” The crash data available at the time did not indicate that something had to be done to the intersection.
On Jan. 30, a broad daylight crash on Route 231 near the Stafford Road intersection trapped several motorists. Two of the injured were flown by Maryland State Police helicopter to a regional trauma center. The crash was not factored in the SHA’s latest data.
An intersection that will be getting a traffic signal is at the entrance to/exit from Hallowing Point Park. That area is especially congested Saturdays during outdoor sports season. This would be a part-time traffic signal with warning beacons.
Commissioner Earl “Buddy” Hance [R-At large] expressed surprise that a traffic signal is deemed necessary at Hallowing Point Park but not at Stafford Road. Noting all the county facilities that are currently located at the other end of Stafford Road—a trash disposal/recycling facility, the county detention center, Department of Public Works’ Highway Maintenance, Public Safety, a county government fueling facility and Behavioral Health building—Hance declared “we [commissioners] can take some actions to affect traffic on Stafford Road.” Regarding Hallowing Point Park, Hance said the new board of county commissioners wants to take another look at any plan before it is implemented. The state’s project has already been approved for concept development funding.
Regarding other areas of focus, SHA officials reported that improvements to the Route 231-Skipjack Road-Sixes Road are on hold. A traffic signal was added to that intersection almost seven years ago. An improvement project to the Route 231-Adelina Road intersection is funded to begin design in fiscal year (FY) 2021. A project envisioned to make adjacent intersections—Toye Lane, Oldtime Drive, Helena Drive, Yardley Drive, Tate Road and Mason Road—is also funded to start the design phase in FY 2021.
Tran told the board there were several “pots of money” where funding for projects on Route 231 may be available. These include the state’s “resurfacing program,” a fund for addressing traffic congestion. the “safety fund” for high-crash locations and a fund for projects designed for “crash prevention.” Tran stated that none of the Route 321 intersections that were focused on during the recent state study were labeled “high crash locations.”
Johnson told the commissioners that the SHA radar study did not reveal any “major congestion” on Route 231. However, some congestion is created when motorists stop to make turns. Tran added that a “four-lane road” would not be a remedy for any of Route 231’s current problems nor does lowering the speed limit provide a solution.
Captain David Payne of the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office’s Patrol Division reminded SHA officials that in addition to concerns about the safety and daily traffic flow on Route 231, the road is a key component to Calvert County emergency evacuation plan.
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com