ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Howard County Department of Public Works’ (DPW) Bureau of Highways’ Traffic Engineering Division and the County’s Office of Transportation (OoT) will hold a joint public meeting on Thursday, February 27th, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Long Reach High School to present traffic calming plans for High Tor Hill and Phelps Luck Drive, bike lane plans for Phelps Luck Drive, and Complete Streets improvement plans for Tamar Drive.
Since adopting Howard County’s first ever Complete Streets Policy in 2019, we have embarked on a bold journey to transform our transportation infrastructure through strategic investments and policy changes. In our most recent FY25 Capital Budget, we dedicated $14.7 million in County funding for sidewalks, bike lanes, pathways and other Complete Streets infrastructure that makes projects like these possible. I encourage our residents to attend this public meeting to learn about our upcoming road safety and Complete Streets efforts planned for the Long Reach community.
The traffic calming portion of the project will implement strategies from the County’s recently updated Howard County Neighborhood Traffic Calming Policy, to combat excessive vehicular speeds along the two roadways. Speed humps and raised intersections will be installed along High Tor Hill and speed humps, bump-outs, and raised intersections will be installed along Phelps Luck Drive.
Additionally, the project also includes:
- Resurfacing the roadway along High Tor Hill;
- Resurfacing the roadway and the installation of a one directional, northbound bike lane along Phelps Luck Drive; and
- Resurfacing the roadway, the addition of a center left turn lane, and the installation of Complete Streets improvements, including bike lanes and marked crosswalks along Tamar Drive between Snowden River Parkway and MD-175.
While there will be no formal presentation, DPW and OoT staff, as well as the project consultants, will be on hand to discuss the proposed improvements, answer questions, and gather public comments.
Those unable to attend the public meeting, will be able to view the meeting materials online on OoT’s “Long Reach Area Road Improvements” website immediately following the event. From this same page, residents will also have the opportunity to complete a survey to share their feedback about the projects with DPW and OoT. The survey link will be available through Friday, March 14th.
For questions regarding the neighborhood traffic calming, contact DPW’s Engineering Specialist Ms. Natasha Aidoo at 410-313-2430 or email naidoo@howardcountymd.gov. For questions regarding Complete Streets and bike lanes, contact OoT’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator Mr. Chris Eatough at 410-313-0567 or email ceatough@howardcountymd.gov.