River Hill Board working session with SHA 2017-2-6

Our guests:

  • Cornelius Barmer, PE Assistant Division Chief (Office of Highway Development)
  • John Concannon, Assistant District Engineer (District 7 Traffic)
  • Teri Soos, PE Assistant District Engineer (District 7 Project Development)
  • Kenneth Polcak, Highway Noise Team Leader (Office of Planning and Preliminary Engineering)
  • George Miller, Transportation Manager (District 7 Traffic)

Talking points

1) Ken Polcak: Highway noise team leader.

2) Cornelius Barmer, Assistant division chief. Managing capital program. 300 inquiry a year

3) John Concannon, (District 7), traffic study, lighting, etc

4) Teri Soos, Assistant District Engineer, construction inspection, etc

5) George Miller, Transportation manager , Howard County, Carrol County, Fredirick County,

Traffic noise

1: Noise complaint online, 24-48 hours’ response, 4 weeks many be needed

How to prioritize ? Case by case.

2) Noise mitigation program, how funding is decided? A rigorous procedure

3) 66 decibel threshold

4) more noisy project are allowed in Maryland than other states

5) Associated capital budget will be needed to trigger a noise mitigation response

6) 32 north expansion will NOT affect 32 south noise by the state high way.

7) retrofit look at other areas if needed

8) predictive model for noise study, future traffic study. 20 years plan.

9) Double the traffic, will increase 2 decibel.

10) SHA tried to find a way to qualify the noise mitigation program. Increased traffic does not qualify for this program.

11) Pre-dayed noise study in the south of 32 may be possible.

12) SHA is not only factor contributing to the noise. 80-20 between SHA and county on Type II project.

13) around 29, type I noise barrier. Some residents were even not sure why their build the wall.

Traffic through the neighborhood

1) traffic control device, collecting data, 13 continuous hour (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday), crashed data ( from police department, 5 years),

Linden Linthicum Lane studied in2015. Not qualifying for a traffic light.  Putting a traffic light may increase accidents (rear-end).

2)  County has done 108 corrida study before. SHA did not consider 108 new commercial constructions (River Hill Garden Center, River Hill xxx).

3) Any comprehensive study on 108 with so many new constructions? 108 design plan is only advisory, no legal effect.

4) County executive send a list of priority of projects for the county to SHA by May each year.  108 project was on the 7,8 of the list.

5) If developer’s development make changes which affect the road, it is both SHA and county’s responsibility.

6) Even SHA say the traffic study is invalid (for example, funeral home along 108 did traffic study during summer. SHA would flag this traffic study), the county can still approve the traffic study.

7) SHA give comments to developer when the developer comes to them. The developer needs to submit the application to the county first.

8) SHA could not say no to a developer in general.

9) Sheppard lane signal. Realign better to garden center. Extra cost will not from SHA. It will be developer only, or developer plus county.

10) SHA stated expansion of 32 may decrease left turn traffic into the Sheppard Lane.  Counter arguments on this point.

11) SHA does not provide continuous lighting along state high way. SHA does provide lighting all traffic signal.

12) Howard County last year asked residents to rate the traffic/road projects. Not sure they will do the same this year. County government is the initializer of road projects proposed to SHA.

 

13) J-Brake on truck ( help to stop the break) is allowed. Modified exhaust in not allowed in Maryland.

 

14) Bike route. SHA is encouraged to have a bike route. Check consistency with the master plan in the area.