Complete Streets Safety Improvements Impacting Busy Neighborhood

COLUMBIA, MD — A busy intersection in Columbia will receive a makeover starting this month. As part of the Complete Street program, work will begin at the Guilford and Oakland Mills road intersection.

Improvements include:
• Installing a new traffic signal to replace the current four-way stop
• Building 3,000 feet of new sidewalk, curb and gutter
• Installing a bus pad in the northwest corner
• Including a storm drain, stormwater management and pavement resurfacing

“This long-awaited groundbreaking marks the start of an improvement project that has been in the works for over 10 years and we’re getting it done. One of my top priorities is to make sure all our residents have safe, accessible and reliable infrastructure,” Howard County Executive Calvin Ball said. “We accomplish that by ensuring that our streets are well designed and maintained with safety in mind for pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders and drivers.”

This project is just one of several that fall under the Complete Streets Policy, which began more than two years ago but was jumpstarted with the County Council’s passage of legislation in October 2019 to implement the Ball administration’s proposed Complete Streets Policy. The Howard County Council unanimously adopted the Complete Streets Resolution CR120-2019 Oct. 7, 2019.

“The Guilford community knows that these intersection improvements have been a long time coming. Once completed, this project will save lives, expand access for pedestrians, prioritize equity in transportation and connect our community,” Councilwoman Christiana Rigby said.