 "Photo: York Traffic Circle by Matthew Sprague/The Towerlight")
To alleviate traffic and make pedestrian walking more safe and appealing, a new project to redo the central Towson roundabout is in the design phase.
“There is a new project to make the new roundabout traffic pattern permanent, with reconstruction of sidewalks, curbs, ramps, gutters and new pavement markings,” State Highway Administration 4th District community liaison Fran Ward said.
Although still being designed, Ward said the project is not funded for construction at this time.
Ward said the SHA has been working with Baltimore County and local organizations to improve pedestrian safety in Towson, one of the main reasons for working toward a renovation to the roundabout.
According to Ward, there was not always a roundabout connecting York Road, Dulaney Valley Road, East Joppa Road and Alleghany Avenue.
She said the Towson roundabout was originally opened to traffic in October of 1998. Prior to the construction of the roundabout, this intersection initially was controlled by two separate traffic signals.
The traffic circle changes, both past and future, are all working toward “The Walkable Towson Plan,” according to the Baltimore County’s Department of Public Works’ Web site. The changes will do two things: “add an abundance of attractive, desirable places to walk” and “add a roadway/walkway infrastructure that is friendly to pedestrians.”
In 2008, SHA closed the roundabout for two days in June in order to change the traffic patterns.
The changes were only temporary at the time, according to Ward.Towson Chamber of Commerce executive director Nancy Hafford said when the traffic circle was originally constructed, it wasn’t shaped properly.
She said people were cutting corners and that the changes didn’t provide the safety that the new project hopes to accomplish.
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