(June 6, 2014) – The Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) will begin construction next week on a $6 million safety improvement project on MD 32 from Day Road to West Friendship Road in Howard County. Construction will take about two years with completion scheduled summer 2016, weather permitting.

“Improving safety along the MD 32 corridor is a top priority for SHA and for Howard County. SHA worked closely with the county and the local community to design both interim and long-term improvements to reduce crashes and enhance safety for bicyclists, pedestrians and vehicular drivers,” said SHA Administrator Melinda B. Peters.

The  project will add  a nearly one-mile segment of MD 32 to accommodate a continuous center turn lane, full-width shoulders signed and marked as bicycle lanes, and acceleration and right turn/deceleration lanes at the two intersections. Other related work includes installation of storm drain pipes, construction of stormwater management facilities, landscaping and reforestation.

During the project, motorists should anticipate temporary lane closures during off-peak hours between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. and overnight between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. The first phase of construction involves reconstructing the shoulders of MD 32, beginning with the northbound side. In preparation for this work, crews will remove the existing centerline rumble strip and pavement markings and install temporary pavement markings to shift traffic towards the southbound side, maintaining two-way traffic. After the northbound shoulder is reconstructed, lanes will be shifted again and crews will reconstruct the southbound shoulder. SHA’s contractor for the project is Kinsley Construction, Inc., of Timonium.

This project was made possible with funding from the Transportation Infrastructure Investment Act of 2013, which maintains crucial system preservation investments and allows Maryland to activate long-term strategies to invest in Maryland’s transportation systems. By putting people back to work in the transportation industry with $4.4 billion in new investments in the next six years, Maryland is creating hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity and providing Marylanders with the transportation infrastructure necessary to grow and prosper for decades to come.

While SHA and its partners work hard to maintain safe traffic mobility in work zones, each driver needs to actively modify his or her driving style to help prevent crashes. Stay alert – look for reduced speed limits, narrow driving lanes and highway workers. Slow down and don't follow too closely. Safer Driving. Safer Work Zones. For everyone!

 

Map of the MD 32 near Day Road improvement project.