More than 200 people crowded into a State Highway Administration meeting Thursday to demand long-lasting improvements to Route 32 in western Howard County, a stretch of roadway where collisions have claimed three lives in the past four months.

During an at-times emotional meeting, residents outlined the types of changes they’d like to see along Route 32 between I-70 and the Carroll County line, including the installation of traffic lights or roundabouts at key intersections, a reduced speed limit and widening the road to four lanes in the area near the latest fatal collision Sept. 10.

“This is a touchy issue. We’ve seen a lot of people die on this road,” said Pete Simonetti, who lives near the Amberwoods community, in Sykesville, where the latest fatality occurred.

Secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation Beverley Swaim-Staley, who attended the Sept. 17 meeting at the county Department of Education in Ellicott City, thanked residents for their suggestions.

“For everyone in this room I know there’s been a great deal of loss and a great deal of tragedy,” she said.

Earlier this week, SHA officials announced measures they will take to make Route 32 safer, including the immediate posting of signs warning of left-turning traffic at several intersections, closing some passing zones near key intersections, and deploying “speed trailers” in the area to remind drivers of their speed.

Later in the fall, crews will re-stripe Route 32 at key intersections to provide separate turn lanes and increase the width of the center line and edge line markings to increase their visibility.

The changes were announced in the wake of the Sept. 10 death of Brian Edgar Emery, 49, of Sykesville.

Emery was killed when he was waiting to make a left turn from northbound Route 32 onto Amberwoods Way and was struck from behind by a van, knocking his car across the double line where it was hit by an oncoming pickup truck.

Nick Triska, a five-year resident of the Amberwoods community, said in an interview prior to Thursday night’s meeting that SHA officials acted quickly in the days following the collision.

“I’m actually very impressed,” Triska said. “It’s not a solution, but it’s certainly a demonstration of the commitment of the political leadership.”

Sykesville residents for months have decried safety issues on the stretch of roadway.

A meeting with state and local officials in July was prompted by a June 23 crash at the intersection of Route 32 and River Road that killed 13-year-old Vincent Dasung Woodward and his mother, Kyong Hae “Jennifer” Kim.
The latest fatality only added to their sense of urgency.

Jay Zumbrun, a community organizer affiliated with the Web site www.makeroute32safe.com, told state officials Thursday night that he was pleased with the short-term solutions but wanted work to continue.

“We’re satisfied with a short-term fix, but we’re looking for long-term improvements that will guarantee our safety,” he said.

Zumbrun added that many residents who live along the two-lane portion of Route 32 believe the road should be widened. “We all agree that we need to widen the road,” he said. “Human lives are at stake here.”

Dels. Gail Bates and Warren Miller, Republicans from the west county, also said they support widening Route 32 to four lanes.

While not committing to details or a time frame, SHA officials said they plan to widen Route 32.

Although dominated by discussion of hazards along Route 32, the SHA’s Sept. 17 meeting was planned in order to present residents with the state’s transportation projects and priorities in Howard County.

Projects to begin in the near future include:
• a new interchange at Linden Church Road and Route 32 to increase safety at that interchange;
• widening Route 108 from two to four lanes between Centennial Lane and Woodland Road;
• and replacing a bridge over the Patapsco River on Route 40.

Also in the planning phases are:
• a study to address safety concerns on Route 32 between Route 108 and I-70;
• widening the northbound section of Route 29 from Seneca Drive to Route 175 and from the Middle Patuxent River to Seneca Drive from two to three lanes;
• and studies to identify potential improvements along the Route 1 corridor from the Prince George’s County line to the Baltimore County line.

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user comments (3)

user vmail says...

Please, please, please, no round a bouts. If traffic light are installed, this will cause problems back to Eldersburg. Yes, MD 32 is a problem, but the solution should not cause a problem on another section of this road. MD 32 is a problem from MD 26 south to I-70. This entire section should be addressed.

Posted 9:26 AM, 09.19.09 | Permalink

user belovedcartoonmouse says...

Folks, as an out of county resident who doesn't drive this road every day but who never-the-less has had first-hand experience with Route 32, here's the situation: Route 32 was an old country road. Now, Route 32 is a major traffic artery between Howard County and points south with Carroll County/Eldersburg/Westminster and points north. Add to that the constantly expanding population of the area and you have a problem. Now, some people plead for conservation, for less traffic volume, less noise, less pollution, maintaining the status quo and a general denial of the problems that have plagued this road for over a decade. Of course, this means problems with traffic, commute and transport times and, as we have seen lately, fatalities. Whether people like it or not, Route 32 is a major road and to not treat it as such for transportation is, in my opinion, negligence. I see no reason for the State to have taken so little action to date and no reason to delay upgrades to Route 32. Until such upgrades are implemented, more traffic, accidents and fatalies will likely occur.

Posted 10:49 PM, 09.19.09 | Permalink

user mellog says...

How can people be mad with the state about making the hiway, aka Rt 32, safe. Those people who were the planners and administration over the last 15 years are the irresponsible people who allowed this road to go to ruin. Develop it is what the politicians wanted at the time with no responsiblility for no supporting roads. The politicians are now else where and the developers are in their vaction homes with their children jumping horses while the people are dodging car wrecks. The state is broke and you will have to get in line for what little is left.

Posted 3:49 PM, 09.20.09 | Permalink