Pathways
May 20, 2009
Eric Villard

The recently released Carroll County Comprehensive Plan has given some hope of Eldersburg infrastructure improvements, though county planning officials have stressed that it may be some time before construction begins on these projects.

The plan, available on the Pathways Web site (www.carrollpathways.org), describes itself as a “blueprint for growth” in Carroll County that strives to lay out land use changes while keeping in mind Carroll’s rural atmosphere, healthy natural environment, charming small towns and sense of community.

The Pathways document gives a broad idea of what to expect in land use and infrastructure changes throughout the county, focusing on items like land preservation, residential development and economic growth, said Steven Horn, director of the county’s Department of Planning.

While the Pathways Plan points out several possible improvements to Eldersburg and surrounding areas, including increased sidewalk coverage and a possible access highway to reduce congestion on MD 26, Horn stressed that residents should not get their hopes raised. “The current status of the state’s plans for a multi-lane improvement to the MD 26 corridor is only completed through preliminary engineering and design,” he said. “Funding for final engineering, right-of-way acquisition, and construction have not yet been allocated.” Horn added that while Eldersburg-area projects were mentioned, they were meant to be looked at as part of a bigger picture.

“The roadway and sidewalk improvements in Freedom are included to give the reader an idea as to the scope of the transportation improvements needed countywide to address our concerns with traffic safety and congestion,” Horn said. “Not to mention the substantial cost to design and construct these improvements.”

The cost, according to Delegate Susan Krebs (R-District 9), is one of the big concerns because of less money being brought in by the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA). “The State Highway Administration’s budget has decreased due to a decrease in gas tax revenue and large new projects around the State are on hold until the issue of funding is resolved,” she explained.

Though that does not mean that the MD 26 improvements will not see the light of day anytime soon.

“The improvements to Route 26 are the number one priority for construction funding and the planning for the widening of Route 32 from Route 26 to the Howard County line is my number one priority for planning funding,” she said. “I would not like it to go back to square one. We need to move forward on these projects.”

For a more focused plan Steven Horn recommended residents wait for the review and release of the Freedom Community Comprehensive Plan, last updated in 2001 and available online at http://ccgovernment.carr.org/ccg/compplan/freedom/.

“The Freedom Plan would be much more site specific and primarily focused on individual parcels while implementing the broader themes espoused in the countywide document,” he said.

The 2001 document pointed out various areas of improvement for MD 26, especially at the commercialized sections, including Eldersburg. The plan stated that around these sections automobile accident rates were higher, rates that would worsen if no changes were made to the roadways as the commercial areas expanded.

While some of the changes outlined in the plan have been implemented in Eldersburg, such as improving the MD 32 and MD 26 intersection, others have not – such as increased pedestrian walkways and bike paths in order to reduce the need for residents to use automobiles.

Ross Dangel, a member of the Freedom Area Citizen’s Council, said the major cause of the Freedom plan not being implemented in its entirety after all these years was the poor planning of county officials back when the document was created.

“The sad truth is that if in late 2001, then Commissioner [Robin] Frazier had just accepted the state's offer to fund the project immediately, instead of telling the state that Carroll didn't want the project after all and it wasn't needed … it would have already been built and Eldersburg would be a much nicer and safer community to drive through,” he said. “As for the 2001 plan, it's very good, if only the county were following it ...which is yet another issue altogether.”

The Carroll County Pathways Plan is currently in draft form and is open for public review for 60 days as of May 11. Steven Horn said that the Freedom Plan would be up for revision after Pathways was adopted.

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