State highway officials this week installed a stop sign and rumble strips at the intersection of Route 29 and Interstate 70, in Ellicott City, following complaints from residents about hazardous conditions at the intersection.

The intersection includes a right-side cloverleaf exit ramp from northbound Route 29 to westbound I-70 as well as a left-side exit ramp that requires drivers to cross the southbound lanes of Route 29 to access a separate ramp for westbound I-70.

The "crossover" exit was the site of a fatal collision July 19. Ellicott City resident Andrew Perry Noel, 19, was killed when he was riding a motorcycle south on Route 29 and a Dodge Durango traveling north on Route 29 turned in front of him as it attempted to access the exit ramp, county police said at the time.

Since the collision, area residents, led by Noel's mother, Valerie Noel, have petitioned the State Highway Administration and Howard County officials to close the crossover exit ramp or modify it to make it safer.

On Sept. 24, highway crews replaced the existing yield sign with a stop sign along northbound Route 29 at the crossover to access the ramp for westbound I-70, according to a news release from the SHA.

SHA also installed crossover warning signs and a set of rumble strips in each lane along southbound Route 29 to warn motorists of turning traffic, the release stated.

The changes are interim safety measures while the SHA continues to study the intersection, officials said, adding that the results of a long-term engineering study should be available later this fall.

user comments (1)

user ellicottcitizen says...

This could probably be the most idiotic fix for the intersection that I could have imagined. The SHA puts rumble strips and signs across the free flow lanes to warn against the upcoming intersection that has a STOP sign??????????????? Doesn't 29 South have the right-of-way???????

Posted 11:03 AM, 10.01.08

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