Road Work Projects Continue In The Park

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By Darrell Mak
With winter upon us, county crews are now scurrying to complete as much road work as possible in and around the area before snow and freezing temperatures play havoc against them.
A major road rehabilitation project is finally nearing completion along about a one-mile stretch on both the eastbound and westbound directions of College Parkway in Arnold, from Ritchie Highway to College Manor Drive. Final repaving work is being completed Sunday through Thursday evenings from 8:00pm to 6:00am, to minimize rush-hour traffic delays.


Similar road rehabilitation projects are also being performed on Riverdale Road in Severna Park, Old County Road and Benfield Boulevard.
Matt Diehl, Public Information Officer for the County’s Department of Public Works, said traffic delays might occur during construction but work is usually only permitted on weekdays from 9:00am to 3:00pm. Work for these projects and other county roads are the responsibility of the Department of Public Works.
Road repaving is prioritized based on numerous criteria such as potholes, cracks, rutting, raveling, ride quality, traffic volume, and poor drainage. The severity and the extent of the problem are also taken into consideration.
Each year, approximately one third of the county’s 6,300 roads are inspected and given a condition rating from zero to one hundred, with one hundred being a perfect score. The condition rating considers the severity and extent of numerous criteria and is used as the primary tool in prioritizing roads for inclusion in the county’s Capital Resurfacing and Reconstruction Program.
Road repair efforts can range from simpler crack sealing, where an asphalt sealer is applied to roadway cracks to prevent water penetration, to full reconstruction, where the existing roadway, curb, and sidewalk are completely removed and reconstructed. According to the county, full reconstruction is the most costly alternative and is only considered when a road is beyond normal maintenance measures.
To help prevent the need for full reconstruction work, most road work maintenance falls into the category of resurfacing and repaving, where failing areas are patched, and the roadway is resurfaced with new hot mix asphalt, which extends the life of the existing road bed.
Winter’s arrival may likely be accompanied by a myriad of potholes that will spring up along county roads. Residents can help by reporting pothole problems. Routine road surface maintenance, including pothole repairs, is handled by different county maintenance districts. Severna Park and Millersville residents should contact the Mountain Road Yard at 410-222-6120, and Arnold residents should contact the St. Margaret’s Yard at 410-222-7940 for pothole repair assistance. The county will investigate the request within one week, or within one day if it is a hazardous situation, and will prepare a schedule for the work.

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