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| Traffic Signal Ahead |
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| Entrance to Northbrook will soon have a traffic signal |
The Town Council is happy to announce that the much anticipated traffic signal at the entrance to the Northbrook Subdivision will begin construction shortly, and should be operational by March 2012. This will allow vehicles, including school buses and commuters, to safely turn from Wexford Drive and Spaniard Neck Road onto this busy state highway.
The Centreville Town Council has worked constructively with the Maryland State Highway Administration over the past 18 months to accomplish several important projects in Centreville:
In June 2010, SHA announced that the speed limits on Liberty St. & Commerce St. (bridge to bridge) would be reduced to 25 MPH. (see this link for this story)
The Town Council was able to get SHA to include several new crosswalks on Rt. 213 in Centreville. This is an ongoing project, and SHA continues to make these improvements in town.
Traffic Signal at Northbrook. The Town Council has worked to guarantee that the developer will honor his obligation to install this Traffic Signal. SHA has requested that this project be installed for more than 5 years and the Council has now been able to ensure that the signal will be installed by the developer in the next few months.
We will continue to work diligently and proactively with SHA on projects that affect the safety of the citizens of Centreville.
A little history on the traffic signal project:
October 2001: When this subdivision was approved, SHA anticipated that due to the increased traffic, a traffic signal may be required. In October 2001, they required the developer to perform a "Traffic Signal Warrant Study", which is a traffic study to determine future traffic patterns, and drives future traffic signal decisions. The results of that study recommended that a traffic signal be installed when the 290th house was occupied.
In November 2006, there were approximately 166 homes occupied. At that time, SHA wrote a letter (click here for a copy of that letter) asking the developer to "begin the work efforts in a proactive manner to assure that the construction timing coincides with the actual need for the signal construction". They required that the developer fund a follow-up Traffic Signal Warrant Study and if the signal was warranted, the developer was to install it.
In January, 2007, the developer had not yet responded to SHA's request, so SHA sent a letter to the Town of Centreville, (click here for a copy), requesting that the Town halt authorization of any future building permits for the Northbrook Subdivision until the developer performed the study.
This request seemed to work, because at the February 15, 2007 Town Council meeting (click here for a copy of the minutes, scroll to the yellow highlighted portion on page 3), the Town Manager reported that he had met with a representative of SHA and the developer and that the town was to receive a copy of the completed traffic signal study within the week. It was suggested to the developer at that time that he could begin installation of the traffic signal equipment immediately as it could take up to a year for the entire process. The Town Attorney also reminded the developer that installation of the traffic signal was a requirement of the negotiated Public Works Agreement. The result of the new traffic study revealed that at the completion of the 331st house, a traffic signal would be required to be operational.
When I was elected to the Town Council in April 2009, one of the first things I wanted to do was to discuss with SHA several items of concern to the town, including the stalled 301/304 overpass project, speed limits on Rt. 213 (Liberty & Commerce) in town, crosswalks, and the status of the Traffic Signal at Northbrook. We held a work session in February 2010. SHA agreed to work with the town to study speed limits on Liberty & Commerce which resulted in the 25 MPH speed limit change last summer (see here for the blog entry on that subject). SHA added that the 301/304 overpass was on indefinite hold due to lack of funding. SHA also told us that the traffic signal at Northbrook was the responsibility of the developer, and that SHA had been unsuccessful in getting the developer to respond to their requests for installation, and they asked the town for help. (see here for a copy of the 2/2/2010 Town Council minutes, 4th bullet, 1st page)
On February 16, 2010, SHA sent a letter to the developer (see here for a copy) as a follow up to the Council meeting earlier that month. In that letter, SHA directs the developer to provide their District Office in Chestertown a design request for the installation of the traffic signal, within 30 days, or SHA will request that the Town of Centreville ban further issuance of building permits.
SHA's request that the town consider banning the issuance of building permits seemed to work, because on March 10, 2010, the developer responded to SHA with a Design Request for a new Traffic Signal at Northbrook. (click here for a copy of that letter)
There are several steps to building a traffic signal on an SHA highway. The first is a Design Request. Once approved, a plan is then submitted. Once that plan is approved, they have to apply for a permit, and THEN they can get started. This process is what SHA is talking about when it says the installation can take upwards of a year. So, in March 2010, began the process of requesting, planning, reviewing, modifying, re-submitting, re-reviewing, further planning, and finally, approvals. (click here to see the flow chart relating to SHA access permits)
On June 14, 2011, SHA provided the developer's contractor with a letter approving their traffic signal design for the Northbrook Traffic Signal, and directed them to forward the approved plans to SHA's access permit division. (click here for a copy of that letter).
The Centreville Town Council has worked constructively with the Maryland State Highway Administration over the past 18 months to accomplish several important projects in Centreville:
In June 2010, SHA announced that the speed limits on Liberty St. & Commerce St. (bridge to bridge) would be reduced to 25 MPH. (see this link for this story)
The Town Council was able to get SHA to include several new crosswalks on Rt. 213 in Centreville. This is an ongoing project, and SHA continues to make these improvements in town.
Traffic Signal at Northbrook. The Town Council has worked to guarantee that the developer will honor his obligation to install this Traffic Signal. SHA has requested that this project be installed for more than 5 years and the Council has now been able to ensure that the signal will be installed by the developer in the next few months.
We will continue to work diligently and proactively with SHA on projects that affect the safety of the citizens of Centreville.
A little history on the traffic signal project:
October 2001: When this subdivision was approved, SHA anticipated that due to the increased traffic, a traffic signal may be required. In October 2001, they required the developer to perform a "Traffic Signal Warrant Study", which is a traffic study to determine future traffic patterns, and drives future traffic signal decisions. The results of that study recommended that a traffic signal be installed when the 290th house was occupied.
In November 2006, there were approximately 166 homes occupied. At that time, SHA wrote a letter (click here for a copy of that letter) asking the developer to "begin the work efforts in a proactive manner to assure that the construction timing coincides with the actual need for the signal construction". They required that the developer fund a follow-up Traffic Signal Warrant Study and if the signal was warranted, the developer was to install it.
In January, 2007, the developer had not yet responded to SHA's request, so SHA sent a letter to the Town of Centreville, (click here for a copy), requesting that the Town halt authorization of any future building permits for the Northbrook Subdivision until the developer performed the study.
This request seemed to work, because at the February 15, 2007 Town Council meeting (click here for a copy of the minutes, scroll to the yellow highlighted portion on page 3), the Town Manager reported that he had met with a representative of SHA and the developer and that the town was to receive a copy of the completed traffic signal study within the week. It was suggested to the developer at that time that he could begin installation of the traffic signal equipment immediately as it could take up to a year for the entire process. The Town Attorney also reminded the developer that installation of the traffic signal was a requirement of the negotiated Public Works Agreement. The result of the new traffic study revealed that at the completion of the 331st house, a traffic signal would be required to be operational.
When I was elected to the Town Council in April 2009, one of the first things I wanted to do was to discuss with SHA several items of concern to the town, including the stalled 301/304 overpass project, speed limits on Rt. 213 (Liberty & Commerce) in town, crosswalks, and the status of the Traffic Signal at Northbrook. We held a work session in February 2010. SHA agreed to work with the town to study speed limits on Liberty & Commerce which resulted in the 25 MPH speed limit change last summer (see here for the blog entry on that subject). SHA added that the 301/304 overpass was on indefinite hold due to lack of funding. SHA also told us that the traffic signal at Northbrook was the responsibility of the developer, and that SHA had been unsuccessful in getting the developer to respond to their requests for installation, and they asked the town for help. (see here for a copy of the 2/2/2010 Town Council minutes, 4th bullet, 1st page)
On February 16, 2010, SHA sent a letter to the developer (see here for a copy) as a follow up to the Council meeting earlier that month. In that letter, SHA directs the developer to provide their District Office in Chestertown a design request for the installation of the traffic signal, within 30 days, or SHA will request that the Town of Centreville ban further issuance of building permits.
SHA's request that the town consider banning the issuance of building permits seemed to work, because on March 10, 2010, the developer responded to SHA with a Design Request for a new Traffic Signal at Northbrook. (click here for a copy of that letter)
There are several steps to building a traffic signal on an SHA highway. The first is a Design Request. Once approved, a plan is then submitted. Once that plan is approved, they have to apply for a permit, and THEN they can get started. This process is what SHA is talking about when it says the installation can take upwards of a year. So, in March 2010, began the process of requesting, planning, reviewing, modifying, re-submitting, re-reviewing, further planning, and finally, approvals. (click here to see the flow chart relating to SHA access permits)
On June 14, 2011, SHA provided the developer's contractor with a letter approving their traffic signal design for the Northbrook Traffic Signal, and directed them to forward the approved plans to SHA's access permit division. (click here for a copy of that letter).
The Town Council has been pushing to get this signal installed for a long time, and it has been a top priority since the February 2010 Council/SHA worksession. Only recently was the Town Council finally able to get the developer to formally agree to install the traffic signal: including selecting a contractor, signing a contract, committing to a construction time line, (see here for a copy of the contract and timeline) securing funding, and submitting the plans for access permit approval.
SHA still needs to approve the access permit, but everything has been submitted and is in their hands. The contractor has already ordered materials, and once SHA approves the access permit, the contractor will begin construction.The signal installation timeline is based on SHA's access permit issuance. This should be within 3-4 weeks. Within 3-4 weeks after the issuance of the permit, the contractor will begin construction--this includes installing the concrete foundation, electrical conduit, poles, signals, signs, etc. The whole project should wrap up in approximately 90 days after receiving the access permit (weather permitting).
So, when you see the contractors out there measuring, mixing, and digging, please be patient. The inconvenience will be temporary, but the result will be permanent. Feel free to wave and thank them for doing their part. I'm sure the Northbrook community and the entire town will be safer with this signal installed.
If you have further questions about this project or anything else going on in Centreville, please feel free to email me or call me.
If you're interested in the approved plans, click the following links:
Page 1 of 2 (electrical details)
Page 2 of 2 (ground layout)
Tim
To see an update of the access permit status, go here:
http://apps.roads.maryland.gov/SHAServices/SignalPlanLocator/Index.asp?d=127
You will be prompted to enter a Traffic Signal (TS) Number.
If you're interested in SHA's policies on the installation of traffic signals, see these links:
Traffic Signs & Signals overview
Traffic signal brochure
