Starting in late August, motorists and pedestrians who travel through the triangular intersection of Bond Street, Main Street and Gordon Street will see temporary safety improvements in and around the intersection known as “the flatiron,” as the Town of Bel Air works with the state and the nonprofit Smart Growth America on initiatives to improve road safety.
These temporary safety improvements, which are meant as demonstration projects, also are happening in Howard County and the City of Hagerstown in Western Maryland. The state and the local jurisdictions are doing the demonstrations in partnership with the SGA’s Complete Streets Leadership Academy.
“This partnership supports MDOT's efforts to prioritize accessible and sustainable travel across all modes of transportation,” Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Widefeld said in a statement. “It will help to rapidly make our streets safer for everyone while providing an opportunity to test safety measures and apply lessons learned across our state network."
The improvements planned for the Town of Bel Air -- which received a $22,000 grant as well as technical assistance from the state and SGA – include closing the left-turn lane which drivers heading south on Main Street use to turn onto East Gordon Street. Those drivers will be detoured onto East Broadway.
People also should look for temporary speed “cushions,” meant to slow down traffic, plus signs warning of the speed reduction devices as well as the need for traffic to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. Crosswalks throughout the intersection – including those in the two turn lanes drivers on North Main Street can use to make a left onto West Gordon or a U-turn on Bond Street – will be painted in bright white to ensure they are clearly visible for pedestrians and drivers.
The temporary safety improvements are expected to be in place through early November. The Town’s goals for this project include making it safer for pedestrians, especially Bel Air Elementary School students, to cross at the flatiron, and to make it safer for drivers to get through by reducing the amount of turn lanes. The Town also will collect data for future improvements to the intersection, so it is easier and safer for walkers to get to and from downtown businesses and the elementary school.
Public feedback is a crucial part of this project, so please visit the blog on the Complete Streets Leadership Academy page on our website to follow along and leave comments.
The state has partnered with the Town on other transportation improvement projects this year, including updates to Bel Air’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan and the development of an action plan, through the Safe Streets for All program, to make Bel Air friendlier for pedestrians, cyclists, users of mass transit and people with disabilities. The confluence of Main, Bond and Gordon Street was one of nine intersections in the Town that were studied as part of creating the Safe Streets action plan. Members of the community were able to share their concerns about the flatiron, as well as the other eight intersections, during a public workshop at the Armory in February.
Contact Media and Public Relations Specialist David Anderson at 410-838-7181 or danderson@belairmd.org.