Traffic Study: Catonsville Y Has Three Options on South Rolling Road

Officials at the Y of Central Maryland are focusing on one of three options to improve traffic if a medical building is constructed on their site--widening South Rolling Road.

The Y agreed to have the developer, Duke Realty, pay for a traffic study on South Rolling Road to address residents' concerns about potential congestion around the proposed development.

In order for the Y to build the medical building on 850 South Rolling Road, Baltimore County Councilman Tom Quirk would have to submit it as a Planned Unit Development (PUD) proposal. The PUD process for Baltimore County is designed to foster greater creativity in development in return for more flexible land use and zoning regulations.

John Hoey, president and CEO of the Y of Central Maryland, said choosing one of the three options made the most sense for the property.

The three options were:

• A roundabout. Y officials said this would be the most expensive and isn't ideal for that location because of the hills on South Rolling Road.
• Widening South Rolling Road. The road would be widened from Wilkens Avenue to north of the Y property, with left turn lanes and accelerate/de-accelerate lanes. Y officials said this is the solution they are focused on.
• Adding a traffic light.This would be an option if traffic still continued to be a problem and would make sense with the second option.

Hoey said officials are hopeful that the solutions presented by the study will allow the PUD process to start.

Quirk said he feels there are several issues in addition to traffic that need to be addressed before the project can go forward, including traffic safety, compatibility and design of the building.

But he said he does feel like the best traffic solution is to widen the road, although it is an expensive one.

"I think everyone realizes it will be a big investment if we're going to truly find solutions there," Quirk said.