The Project: Maryland Route 108 is a two-lane major arterial in Olney Maryland, a suburb of Baltimore. It is one of two major highways providing principal access to and through the Olney area.
Location: Town of Olney Mill, Maryland (A suburb of Baltimore)
Context Setting: Suburban
Road Classification: Principle Arterial
Stakeholders: Maryland SHA; Montgomery County, Maryland; Town of Olney Mill; Olney Mill Community Association; Olney Mill Chamber of Commerce; Individual business and property owners; Local State Delegate
The Process: The problem to be solved was to maximize the capacity (traffic-carrying capability) of Route 108 to enable it to carry out its function as an arterial serving the region. Initial project efforts focused on standard solutions: calling for Route 108 to become a multi-lane arterial throughout the project length, with intersection capacity improvements at the major intersections. Two alternatives developed for the project, incorporated both five-lane and divided roadway solutions. However, as the project moved ahead, there were concerns raised about the impacts of the proposed solutions, the character of the road, the final appearance of the highway, and other aspects such as treatment of pedestrians.
It was decided that the standard template solution would not suffice throughout the 2.7-mile corridor. The corridor was segmented into three areas defined by the surrounding land uses - a residential zone, institutional zone, and commercial zone. The operating speeds and speed limits would vary by zone, as would treatment of the median. The design approach also involved varying the alignment of the road through the corridor to better fit surrounding land uses and minimize conflicts.
Different design challenges required different approaches in each of these zones to meet the character and local context. In the residential zone (northwest project limits) a less structured landscaping theme was developed (see photos), with the hiker/biker trail designed to meander. In the commercial zone, the right-of-way and median are narrower, and design treatment more structured. Provision for left-turn lanes precluded the ability to provide treed landscaping, but plantings along the roadside in keeping with the commercial district's environment were provided. In the institutional zone, the design focused on providing for a transition in view between the other two zones.
Lessons Learned: This project contributed greatly to Maryland's knowledge base and advancement in CSD. A number of specific lessons were learned by Maryland's staff:
Early in the project, review and confirm the planning framework, including the functional classification for the project and speeds (design speed).
Assess what is proposed, what is desired, and what is needed. Look beyond mere mitigation; and look beyond the right-of-way to assess how the project will relate to the area.
Multidisciplinary teams, including specifically landscape architects, were recognized as being essential to project success. Project engineers should get out in the field to visualize the project.
Develop the project with an emphasis on design principles, utilizing engineering principles to achieve desired safety and functionality.
A detailed project description can be found at: http://www.contextsensitivesolutions.org/content/case_studies/480_md108/resources/480_md108/
