One lane of Franklin Street near Greene Street is closed off… (Baltimore Sun photo by Gene Sweeney Jr.)
October 18, 2009|By Liz F. Kay
The problem: Why is a lane of a busy downtown Baltimore street closed to traffic during the evening rush?
The back story: Charlie Dell has had plenty of time to observe what's been slowing down traffic along Franklin Street just east of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
For more than a month, the Catonsville resident noticed that the southernmost lane of westbound Franklin has been blocked off to allow drivers to enter and exit a garage between Paca and Greene streets near the Social Security Administration building. The closure has slowed traffic to a crawl at times, adding about 10 minutes to Dell's normal, 25-minute commute. The problem is worst when someone defies the threat of being towed and parks on the north side of the street despite restrictions in effect during the evening commute, he said.
"I don't know why everyone is being inconvenienced for that garage," Dell said.
To add to the perceived injustice, Dell said he's never seen anyone leaving the garage as he passes by. Dell suspected the lane closure had something to do with detours put in place after an August water main break on Saratoga Street. He was right.
With Saratoga Street closed, pushing more traffic onto Franklin, Social Security officials were concerned that garage patrons would have difficulty entering and exiting, so the city's Department of Transportation created a "maintenance of traffic" pattern, said Adrienne Barnes, a spokeswoman for the agency.
"We're trying to make that area as safe as possible while also allowing access to the garage," she said.
Closing the lane has also forced speeding drivers to slow down, according to Barnes.
"This present setup has kept serious accidents to a minimum," she said. However, "we do realize it has been at a cost, and that's been congestion and delays."
Barnes encouraged commuters to be patient and consider alternate routes.
"All this will be resolved once Saratoga Street is clear," she said.
And how long will that take? Baltimore public works spokesman Kurt Kocher said Saratoga still needs paving and concrete work but estimated it could be completed before the end of October.
Who can fix this: Randall Scott, traffic division chief, city Department of Transportation. 443-984-2150. City residents should call 311 to report problems.
