Tuesday, February 26, 2013
A letter to the editor about raising the speed limit on the Intercounty Connector and other state highways.
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
- Greg Cohen
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Tuesday, February 26
The following is a letter from Fred Flaharty, a Montgomery County school bus driver, in regards to a late January story about the Intercounty Connector potentially having a 70 mph speed limit: The bill that would raise the maximum speed limit on interstates and expressways statewide from 65 to 70 miles per hour is an incredibly BAD IDEA!....no...INSANE idea. As a regular daily driver of the ICC both in my personal car (twice per day) and as the driver of a Montgomery County school bus (4 trips per day) I protest in the strongest possible terms this proposed raising of the speed limit on the ICC. There are several important reasons for this the first of which is the road was never designed for faster speeds as are interstate highways. As is…
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Icy conditions could occur at the onset of the morning rush hour.
The Maryland State Highway Administration strongly urges motorists to avoid traveling early Thursday morning, especially before dawn. "Stay off the roads early [Thursday] morning, so that SHA crews have the opportunity to proactively treat roadways before morning rush hour," SHA Administrator Melinda B. Peters said in a news release. "When you step out and see ice on your doorstep, you can assume that roads will be icy as well. Also remember that conditions can change rapidly within just a few miles, and we ask motorists to remain on guard and exercise extreme caution tonight and tomorrow morning." The SHA warns that those traveling during inclement weather and poor conditions pose a threat to themselves, first responders and other drivers…
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Work at the inner loop of the Capital Beltway will begin at Kenilworth Avenue starting Wednesday night.
Three right lanes on the southbound Capital Beltway, or inner loop, at Kenilworth Avenue (Rt. 201) will close Wednesday night and each night through Friday, according to the State Highway Administration (SHA). The highway administration is removing construction equipment from the ongoing bridge project in Greenbelt. The work will begin at 9 p.m. each night and lanes will reopen to traffic by 5 a.m. on the following mornings, weather permitting, SHA reports. On each night, SHA plans to close one right lane at 9 p.m., two at 10 p.m., and three at midnight. SHA tells motorists to stay alert and to look for reduced speed limits, narrow driving lanes, and highway workers. It also asks drivers to slow down and not follow other vehicles too …
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
State Highway Administration briefs Gaithersburg mayor and City Council on the Watkins Mill Interchange project.
Plans for the Watkins Mill Interchange project sit in a preliminary engineering phase with 30 percent of the design completed, a State Highway Administration official told the Gaithersburg mayor and City Council Monday evening. The preliminary engineering phase is part of a process with $6.67 million in funding and could take another 18 to 24 months to complete, said Randy Gray, SHA project manager for the Watkins Mill Interchange. The project initially received design approval in February 2002 and will eventually result in the completion of a link between the existing Watkins Mill Road segments over I-270, providing a new East-West connection for the city of Gaithersburg. A major issue for the project — whether the full interchange will …
Duke Ganote
6:30 pm on Monday, April 29, 2013
The traffic engineer who pointed out the references to me assured me that a nominal "design speed" usually has a wide safety margin. Sharper curves should be (as the ICC engineering report stated) have specific warning signage. more ›