Resident suggests intersection improvement; County responds

It’s now a little easier to exit the Briggs Chaney Plaza shopping center at Castle Boulevard since the County added a turn lane at a nearby intersection.

As many locals can attest, it can get a little stressful sometimes pulling out of the shopping center at Castle Boulevard when you want to go eastbound (towards the ICC). This happens because there is not enough space for all the cars to wait at the red light to turn left onto Briggs Chaney Road. These backups often would block off the other lanes of Castle Blvd or extend into the shopping center.

Hopefully these problems will go away now that the County recently improved the intersection. The center lane is now a left-or-thru lane, which will allow double the number of cars to wait to make a left turn. The new configuration also improves the efficiency of the intersection because when the center lane was thru-only, it was typically empty and under-utilized.

Photo of intersection showing newly-installed signs.
It’s hard to see in this photo, but in the center to the right of the green light, you can see the new overhead sign indicating that left turns are allowed from the center lane. Photo by author.

My favorite part about this story is how easy the whole process was. All I had to do was contact the County with the suggestion, and within two weeks, the County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) fixed the intersection. The work was done by MCDOT’s Division of Traffic Engineering and Operations, which handles issues such as lane markings, speed humps, traffic calming, road closures, streetlights, signs, and signals.

What can you do to get involved?

Do you have another idea for a simple fix that would benefit our community? Don’t hesitate to share it!

There are many ways you can submit suggestions to the County. You can either call 3-1-1, visit the MC311 website, contact the East County Regional Services Center, or contact your County Council representative.

When contacting the County, it’s important to collect evidence or photos and be prepared with ideas for how to fix the issue. Calling to complain about something without a clear solution is not effective. Providing photos or illustrations like the one below are very helpful in getting your request noticed and acted upon.

Aerial image of intersection overlaid with sketch of proposed turn lanes.
Illustrations such as this one are extremely helpful when making a suggestion or service request to the County. Aerial imagery obtained from Bing Maps. Sketch of turn lanes by author.

 

If you have any questions or would like assistance on how to get started, comment below or on our Facebook page.

One thought on “Resident suggests intersection improvement; County responds”

  1. I have a similar comment about the northbound exit from the Giant at New Hampshire Avenue and Randolph Road.

    There is only one such exit, with only 1 lane available for northbound traffic, and it is almost always crowded. During busy periods the cars waiting to exit are sometimes backed up into lanes waiting to enter the parking lot from the entrance to the south, where there is only a southbound exit. This northbound exit does have a second lane but it is dedicated to southbound New Hampshire traffic, which I believe is redundant.

    I suggest that both lanes from this exit be dedicated to northbound or Midland Lane traffic only, that southbound traffic be prohibited from this exit, and that 2 lines of exit traffic can be accumulated parallel to New Hampshire Avenue next to the bank. The traffic light sequence can be changed such that the east and west bound traffic, from the parking lot and from Midland Road, each have their own dedicated green lights. I would be happy to provide simple graphic presentations to illustrate these traffic patterns.

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