Howard County breaks ground on project to improve pedestrian safety on deadly stretch of road
Howard County broke ground on a project aimed at improving pedestrian safety at two different intersections along the Route 1 corridor in Elkridge.
County leaders and the Maryland Department of Transportation had a ceremonial groundbreaking for the safety improvement project on Tuesday.
This all comes after several deadly incidents where people tried to cross the road..
Pedestrians killed on Route 1
Since 2019, at least three pedestrians have died on Route 1 while trying to cross around the intersection with Doctor Patel Drive.
In September 2024, a woman was killed as she was trying to cross the street. She was hit by two cars during a hit-and-run.
A few blocks away, a woman was hit and killed by two cars in December 2023.
The intersection with Doctor Patel Drive — as well as the intersection with Rowanberry Drive about a mile south — are now poised to get a number of safety upgrades to prevent the next death.
Howard County Executive Calvin Ball said this is the culmination of seven years of work, which started with $1.2 million in local funds to conduct a safety evaluation study.
The plan for the intersection at Doctor Patel Drive is to extend one of the curbs, add new crosswalks and traffic signals, and create a new sidewalk on the eastbound side of the street.
For the one at Rowanberry Drive, the plan is to add new crosswalks, create a new sidewalk, as well as create a new bump pad to better showcase the bus area.
Construction at the intersections is slated to start in the next couple of weeks, with the goal of wrapping by 2026.
Liz Walsh, the chair of the Howard County Council and representative of the area, said this project is long overdue. She hopes this won't be the last done to intersections along the corridor.
"This has to be the first step. There is so much more that has to follow if we are continuing to jam people in the fastest-growing region of this county," Walsh said.
Funding for safety improvements
The Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) became aware of Doctor Patel Drive in 2022.
It was one of four locations along Route 1 that had been scheduled for a $3.5 million pedestrian safety project, but because of funding restraints, the projects were completed in stages.
"Over time, there was limited money. We also overlapped [the pandemic] when a lot of public funds dropped. We were able to kinda keep slow momentum in all the sites," said Andrew Radcliffe, an SHA district engineer.
In October 2024, the Maryland Highway Administration announced that a stoplight would be added to the intersection.
According to the Highway Administration, funding for the pedestrian safety improvement project was initially cut from the state budget.
However, additional funding in the 2026 budget made it possible for the project to continue.
