College Parkway White Paper

BCC White Paper

Broadneck Council of Communities: policy development on College Parkway expansion within Anne Arundel County

College Parkway (CPW) is an Anne Arundel County (AAC) arterial roadway, under the operation and maintenance control of the Anne Arundel County’s Central District.  The primary purpose of College Parkway since its construction in the 20th century is as an arterial roadway for access purposes for the residential areas of the Broadneck Peninsula from Route 2 (Ritchie Highway) to the intersection of Route 179 (Cape Saint Claire Road / St. Margarets Road).  College Parkway was not intended to serve as a through roadway.  It is not a Maryland State highway nor part of the intra or interstate highway systems, all of which are designed as through roadways for traffic.

The Master Transportation Plan of AAC introduces a proposal for widening CPW to four lanes.  Widening College Parkway is of no value to residents living in neighborhoods along its length.  Widening CPW would only serve to move traffic that has an intention to go east or west on a County arterial roadway, College Parkway, to escape the use of U.S. Route 50 while proceeding to or from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

The fallacy of such a widening of CPW is that it would simply result in a huge bottleneck at Route 50‘s Exit 29.  That is the point when the traffic jammed eastbound College Parkway motorists try to enter Route 50 eastbound at Exit 29 or any other point further to the east using other local roads, while enroute to the Bay Bridge.

Studies or published plans such as the Anne Arundel County Master Transportation Plan or the Major Intersection and Important Facilities Study provide background about the ongoing planning and thinking for College Parkway.

It is urged that the Broadneck Council of Communities (BCC) decide upon an early policy position about the widening of CPW in order to inform and educate public officials on the pros and cons of widening College Parkway.

BCC policy position choices for a CPW widening include:

1. supporting a widening
2. not supporting a widening
3. recommending and supporting structural and technological improvements to the existing College Parkway in order to improve the arterial roadway’s capacity for increased traffic volume due to local needs and developments. (A list of possible improvement ideas is included at the end of this document.)

The reasons for not widening College Parkway are numerous:

The following are some of them:

1. It would ruin the residential nature of the adjoining communities.
2. It would cause College Parkway to become a shortcut to and from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Note: A motorist who uses College Parkway as a shortcut from the North to go to or from the Bay Bridge only saves one and 1/10 mile of travel distance by using College Parkway.
3. It would result in increasing high-speed traffic.
4. It would make ingress and egress from the numerous residential neighborhoods very dangerous.
5. It would encourage and exacerbate development.
6. It would result in further deforestation along the right-of-way of College Parkway and the resultant environmental damage.
7. There is no traffic movement benefit because Route 2 and Route 50 at either end of College Parkway are already volume constrained.

It is recommended that the BCC adopt the policy of encouraging Anne Arundel County to make structural and technological improvements to College Parkway. The following is a list of possible change and improvement ideas that could expedite traffic flow eastbound or westbound on College Park Way.  (These are only intended as a few recommended talking points.  They can be greatly added to by a knowledgeable highway engineer.  Photos are available to depict each of the below ideas.).

1. At the joining of the two lane and four lane portions of College Parkway located immediately EAST of the College Parkway Baptist Church improve or modify the lane convergence both eastbound and westbound to eliminate risk of head on collision.
2. College Parkway eastbound, provide a long right turn exit lane to allow safe turn into the Future Care Chesapeake facility.
3. At that same point while westbound include a safe left turn lane into the Future Care facility.
4. College Parkway eastbound, provide a long right turn exit lane onto College Manor Drive.
5. College Parkway eastbound, provide a long right turn exit lane into Woodfire Community at Locust Ridge Lane.
6. College Parkway eastbound, modify road to provide a right turn exit lane onto Jones Station Road to expedite traffic leaving College Parkway.
7. College Parkway eastbound, provide a merge lane so the traffic from Shore Acres Rd. can safely merge onto College Parkway eastbound.
8. College Parkway eastbound, modify roadway to allow for longer queueing lines to turn left onto Shore Acres Road and for remaining cars to continue eastbound on College Parkway.
9. College Parkway eastbound, improve the intersection at Bay Dale Drive to allow northbound cars on Bay Dale Drive to more safely turn left, westbound, onto College Parkway. Also improve or modify the roadbed to allow for a longer queueing line for eastbound traffic to turn left onto Bay Dale Drive northbound.
10. College Parkway eastbound, provide a long right turn exit lane onto Pennington Lane South.
11. College Parkway eastbound, relocate the daily school bus waiting queue at the ends of the school day that endangers and disrupts traffic at Green Holly Drive. Determine a new place for them to wait closer to the High School or The Harbour School.
12. College Parkway westbound, provide a long right turn exit lane into Bellerive Drive to expedite traffic leaving College Parkway.
13. College Parkway westbound, modify the intersection with Bay Dale Drive with a merge lane to facilitate traffic turning westbound onto College Parkway from Bay Dale Drive.
14. College Parkway westbound, provide a right turn exit lane onto Kimwood Drive to facilitate safely exiting from College Parkway.
15. College Parkway westbound provide a right turn exit lane onto Rosslyn Drive to facilitate safely exiting from College Parkway.

11-14-22, JPF