Three specific design options for safety improvements to the Route 5 corridor through St. Mary’s College of Maryland and Historic St. Mary’s City will be described at two events Wednesday, Sept. 14, at the college. There will be an open house 3-6 p.m. in Daugherty-Palmer Commons and a public meeting starting at 7 p.m. at Auerbach Auditorium of St. Mary’s Hall. The public will get a chance to speak with designers and participate in afternoon workshops. Feedback is welcomed.
Students, faculty, staff, and visitors regularly cross the busy Route 5 that links the historic campus with the north campus.
A public meeting in July described a variety of generic traffic-calming alternatives. Designers have since developed three specific options:
- The first focuses on measures intended to encourage motorists to drive at the posted speed limit of 30 mph, including modest reduction in lane widths and shoulder widths, installing islands, placing gateway features at both ends of the campus/historic city corridor, and realigning the Trinity Church Road/Route 5 intersection.
- The second focuses on pedestrian pathways, including sidewalks to eliminate pedestrians in shoulders, curbs, improved lighting, and crosswalks made of different materials such as brick.
- The third focuses on using surface treatments to improve safety, including tinted asphalt shoulders, separating bike paths and sidewalks from traffic lanes, and using a textured pavement in medians.
In 2009, the college proposed alternative means to improve safety along Route 5 through St. Mary’s City. After hearing feedback from the public and from experts, an original plan to build a pedestrian bridge was replaced in favor of a traffic-calming project to improve safety.
The Capital Design Advisory committee, a joint committee of the college, Historic St. Mary’s City, and the public, will host the meetings. Additional information can be found on the Facilities website.