Roundabout 'Gateway' Planned for UMBC

Circle at end of UMBC Boulevard spur from I-195 may help avoid crashes at campus loop road.

A new roundabout planned at University of Maryland, Baltimore County is intended to improve the flow of traffic and pedestrians at the intersection of Hilltop Circle and UMBC Boulevard and serve as a landscaped gateway for the campus, according to officials. The $13.2 million project will address long-standing problems at an intersection that has become more dangerous at the growing campus since UMBC Boulevard was connected with I-195 leading to BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport more than two decades ago, according to Lynne Schaefer, the university's vice president for administration and finance. "We've been asking for funding from the state to do this since 2001," Schaefer said. About 20,000 vehicles a day visit the campus, thousands of which…

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Mari

7:31 pm on Monday, August 6, 2012

Matt, I would still like to see where the money is being spent. How many people have to pay taxes to get to $13.2 million? If it really costs this much, perhaps they shouldn't be doing it at all.   more ›

UMBC Fine Arts Building Recovering From Water Main Break

Building flooded, damaged by April 8 water main rupture.

Beltway Wilkens Ramps Changing

Newly reconstructed eastbound ramp to Wilkens opens while westbound ramp from inner loop Beltway closes.

As the replacement of the inner loop Beltway bridge over Wilkens Avenue enters its next phase, the State Highway Administration is changing exit ramps that drivers will use to leave the inner loop. Beginning March 27, SHA will close the ramp to Exit 12C westbound on Wilkens and detour all inner loop traffic to the newly reconstructed ramp to Exit 12B headed eastbound on Wilkens. SHA will adjust the temporary traffic signal system at Wilkens and Kenwood Avenue to allow motorists to either turn left onto westbound Wilkens toward UMBC or turn right onto eastbound Wilkens headed towards downtown. Crews will begin closing travel lanes at 7 p.m. on March 27. Three lanes will be closed by 11 p.m., according to SHA officials. The new traffic …

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New Traffic Pattern Begins on Wilkens

Lanes shift to right to allow equipment around center bridge supports.

Traffic will shift on Wilkens Avenue in the vicinity of the Beltway between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Mar. 14 while crews work on replacing the inner loop Beltway bridge over Wilkens, according to state highway officials. Both the eastbound and westbound Wilkens Avenue lanes under the bridge will be shifted outward, away from the center piers supporting the bridge, so crews may work and park vehicles and equipment underneath, SHA officials said. The reconstructed ramp leading from the inner loop to eastbound Wilkens Avenue is nearly completed. Paving of the ramp began Feb. 27 and was completed Mar. 3, according to state officials. Next, crews will reconstruct the pavement on what used to be the shoulder of I-695 leading to the newly …

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Action Plan Revealed to Preserve Patapsco 'Jewel'

Report lists 60 actions to mitigate the flow of nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment flowing from the lower Patapsco watershed into the Chesapeake Bay

  Here are some things you’ll be hearing a lot about in coming years, when it comes to the local ecosystem: Rain gardens. Downspout diversions. Impermeable surfaces. They’re all part of a plan revealed Feb. 28 at the Catonsville Library to help Baltimore County comply with state and federal clean water laws by reducing pollution from roads and neighborhoods that drain into local streams. The Lower Patapsco Small Watershed Action Plan (SWAP) lists 60 projects that could significantly reduce pollutants such as nitrogen, phosphorus and sediments flowing into the Chesapeake Bay, according to Nathan Forand, natural resource specialist in the Department of Environmental Protection and Resource Management. “There’s a game plan now,” said Nancy E…

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Picture This: Baltimore County's Grease Map

Proper handling of oils and fats key to preventing sewage overflows.

Sewage overflows are unpleasant and unsanitary messes. Normally, waste water from all of the toilets, sinks and tubs in Baltimore County—about 35 million gallons every day, according to public works officials—is conducted through miles of underground pipelines to treatment plants in the city. There were 158 sewage overflows in Baltimore County in 2011, ranging from a trickle to millions of gallons, according to a database maintained by Maryland Department of the Environment. The most common cause of sewage overflows is lines clogged with fats, oils and grease, known in public works-speak as FOG. Fats and grease congeal in drain pipes and sewage lines, according to sanitary engineers, contributing to overflows during heavy rainfall. Backed-…

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Beltway/Wilkens Traffic Changes Take Effect

Construction of inner loop bridge to last until 2013.

Construction of a new inner loop bridge will inconvenience drivers who exit onto Wilkens Avenue. Beginning Wednesday, Jan. 4, the ramp leading to eastbound Wilkens Avenue will close, and all traffic for Wilkens will be directed to use the westbound exit ramp. A new temporary traffic signal at Wilkens and Kenwood will become operational to facilitate left turns for those headed eastbound on Wilkens toward Baltimore City. The eastbound ramp is expected to reopen in March of 2012, according to State Highway Administration officials. Changes in traffic patterns will begin at around 7 p.m. Wednesday evening, when crews will close one lane of the inner loop of the beltway with concrete barriers, followed by the exit ramp at around 10 p.m. Once …

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