The old saying is that two are better than one, but in the case of the proposed Stewart’s Grant development, it appears two are also better than more, at least where lanes are concerned.
The St. Mary’s County Panning Commission met Monday night to discuss the entrance into the Great Mills development, which will be at George Washington Carver Boulevard and Bayside Road.
It was suggested that a 0.7-mile section of Carver Boulevard to Bayside Road be made into two lanes total instead of multiple lanes in both directions.
The two-lane road, which was recommended by the county’s public works and transportation department through a graphic, showed lanes 12-feet wide in either direction and bookended by a curb and gutter. There are also wide shoulders, a walking path in each direction and a buffer between sidewalks and curbs.
“The goal is to make roads that are almost parallel to our main roads and to make them safer,” Jim Gotsch, the department’s director, said. “That is what FDR Boulevard is for and that’s what we’re pushing this road to be as well. This is a better way to make a road, a safer way to make a road.”
Planning commission member John Brown asked what would happen if there were vehicles parked on the road, to which Gostch answered there is no parking allowed there.
According to data, 72% of all St. Mary’s County accidents involving a fatality or serious injury occur along Great Mills Road (four lanes), Three Notch Road (four lanes), Chancellor’s Run Road (four lanes), Pegg Road near Gate 1 and Chancellor’s Run (four lanes) and Point Lookout Road in Leonardtown (four to six lanes).
“That’s just a small segment of county roads,” Gotsch said, “and the reason I’m here tonight that I don’t want to build another one of those [dangerous roads].”
The estimated number of daily trips on the proposed Bay Ridge Road would be 7,983 trips.
“We’re asking for this change to make it a safer road,” Gotsch said.
According to a Local Roadway Safety Plan titled Complete Streets, “We cannot continue to design roads the same way and expect different results. In the past, we added travel lanes thinking this was the solution to increasing traffic flow along the roadways. This was to the detriment of the pedestrians and cyclists, and in many cases did not increase the vehicle capacity.”
“I understand the concept of what you’re saying,” planning member Joseph Van Kirk said, “but you said two lanes can handle the same volume of traffic as four lanes. That doesn’t make any sense to me.”
“You get on the Beltway, you think you can get more cars through an area of roadway per hour,” Gotsch said, “but when the traffic slows down to 35 miles an hour, that’s the maximum number of cars that can get through space at a time so the high speed doesn’t help the number of cars. It’s getting them all at a constant speed of 35 miles an hour.”
The road change will also reduce the number of dwelling units from 1,122 to 1,084 in the proposed development and increase open space.
In a letter dated March 22, Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Stephen Simonds wrote, “The transition to a two-lane design could potentially exacerbate traffic issues” and added that “our feedback remains unchanged from last year despite the amendment.”
Stewart’s Grant will consist of 224 multi-family units, 127 18-foot townhomes, 247 20-foot townhomes, 211 24-foot townhomes and 275 single-family homes.
A written report on the matter is expected to be submitted within the next month or two.
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