Project to improve pedestrian safety on deadly stretch of road begins in Howard County
County leaders and the Maryland Department of Transportation will begin a safety improvement project Tuesday on Route 1 in Elkridge.
Pedestrians killed on Route 1
Since 2019, at least three pedestrians have died on Route 1, between Doctor Patel Drive and Rowanberry Drive.
In September 2024, a woman was killed as she was trying to cross the street. She was hit by two cars during a hit-and-run.
A few blocks away, a woman was hit and killed by two cars in December.
The community had been calling for safety improvements for nearly six years.
"No median…not a divided median, not a concrete median, no resting place for a pedestrian who's crossing," District 1 Councilwoman Walsh told WJZ in 2024. "And at that location where Doctor Patel Drive is, I have 6 lanes. Something like this...a known safety risk where we kill people at a regular interim has to be top of the list."
Funding for safety improvements
The Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) became aware of Doctor Patel Drive in 2022.
It was one of four locations along Route 1 that had been scheduled for a $3.5 million pedestrian safety project, but because of funding restraints, the projects were completed in stages.
In October 2024, the Maryland Highway Administration announced that a stoplight would be added to the intersection.
According to the Highway Administration, funding for the pedestrian safety improvement project was initially cut from the state budget.
However, additional funding in the 2026 budget made it possible for the project to continue.
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