City to Discuss County, State Transportation Priorities

The Bowie City Council meets Monday, August 14 at 8pm, to discuss its transportation priority requests to county and state lawmakers and transportation agencies.

On the agenda are the recent resurfacing of 564/ 9th Street in Old Bowie, the new reflective markers on 197, a long-suffering MOU on the Bowie Gateway berm, future traffic calming in Old Bowie, and improvements to Church Road, Old Chapel Road, 450, and 301.

Maryland State Highway recently added rows of reflective markers on 197 running north from Tasker Middle School. The goal has been to slow traffic making pedestrian access to Foxhill Park safer. The agency says the reflective posts have been effective at reducing speeds, though they're often knocked down by distracted drivers.

The agency says they will continue replacing the markers and have noted that they're being knocked down less as drivers become acclimated to the change. The city has asked State Highway to consider a pedestrian crossing signal at Lerner Lane to further improve pedestrian safety.

Longterm 197 widening, discussed and studied for 25 years, will be on the list, though it's likely on ice for lack of state funding. As has been written before, it's hard to foresee 197 or 450 ever widened despite frequent new plans introduced. Maryland governors of both political parties have not made the project a priority among a long list of state transportation needs.

More recently, with the state's Purple Line beltway lightrail project, now at double its original budget, and the Baltimore Red Line lightrail project back on the table with the new administration, it's hard to see where the funds will originate to conduct highway expansion. A growing cadre of city councilmembers have in recent years considered striking the 197 expansion request in favor of more attainable projects.

In Old Bowie, the city is requesting a fresh study of 564/ 9th Street for traffic calming and improved pedestrian walkability from Ascension Church, through the Chestnut Bridge, and along 11th Street to the park at Elm. Past efforts to expand sidewalks along this corridor stalled for lack of private property access. The city will be asking the state to explore alternatives to reduce speeds along this corridor.

The city is also requesting the county pursue sidewalk extensions on Chestnut Road from the Huntington Community Center to Sandy Hill Park. The county will be requested to continue to make safety improvements to Church Road and improve ADA accessibility on Old Chapel, as well as complete the several-years delayed improvements to Racetrack Road.

Residents with thoughts on county and state road improvements are encouraged to write me at mesteve@cityofbowie.org or share comments for the record at the meeting in person or in writing to cityclerk@cityofbowie.org.

As a general reference, the city directly manages roads within City of Bowie neighborhoods. Roads between neighborhoods are managed by the county (Racetrack Road, Old Chapel Road, Church Road) and numbered roads are managed by the state (450, 301, 197).