Access Road

Four homes tucked behind my house are accessed by a long driveway/road that runs in between my house and the house next door to me. The driveway then breaks off into the four separate driveways of the four homes. I call them my backyard neighbors. Three of my four "backyard" neighbors recently indicated that their driveways were going to be redone by the builder because of water puddling and other issues (cracking, dips, etc.) and that the main access road (the main driveway) also is going to be resurfaced.

Neighbors who fear that a plan to expand an energy-producing incinerator in Harford County will cause them traffic headaches won't know until later this year if their concerns will be addressed. The Harford County Council recently chose not to consider a proposal that would have required the Army, Baltimore County and the state to build a new access road from Route 24 to the Harford Waste-to-Energy Facility next to Aberdeen Proving Ground in Joppa as part of a proposed $400 million expansion project.

The River Hill High School drama department will present the Michael Frayn comedy Noises Off at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 15, 16, 17 and 18; 2 p.m. Nov. 18; and 3 p.m. Nov. 19 in the school auditorium. Drama teacher Pam Land will direct, with help from student directors Sheyda Alemzadeh, Allison Baker and Amanda Ogorzalek. Joe Blasko will direct construction of a set designed by students Mike Leon and Lauryn Fantano; a crew of more than 25 students will build the set and props. Tickets are $8 in advance; $10 at the door.

An Ellicott City company is building a 1,000-foot access road between two electrical towers near the Village of Owen Brown, paving the way for work to start this summer on a 23-home development.The two-lane road off of Oakland Mills Road will be named Dasher Court and will lead to a cul-de-sac in the planned Dasher Green community, said James R. Moxley III, vice president of Security Development Group Inc., the road's builder."It isn't the first time a road has been built under transmission lines," said Mr. Moxley, who said he does not expect the electrical towers to pose safety hazards to the community.

In a death tentatively ruled a suicide, a 44-year-old Baltimore County man stepped into the path of traffic on the Jones Falls Expressway near Mount Washington late yesterday afternoon and was struck by a van, city police said. The incident occurred after the Rosedale man's pickup truck had crashed on an access road next to the light rail tracks near the Kelly Avenue bridge, disrupting rail operations and evening rush-hour expressway traffic. The man was driving his Dodge pickup truck south on the access road about 4:30 p.m. when the vehicle overturned, said police homicide Detective Al Marcus.

The state is kicking off this week a $19 million, two-year project to improve five bridges and roadways near the interchange of the Baltimore Beltway and Interstate 83 in Baltimore County. The project is part of the state's continuing effort to improve highway safety and prepare for expansion of the northern section of the Beltway, according to the Maryland Department of Transportation's State Highway Administration. The following bridges and roads will be affected: The Joppa Road bridge over the Beltway will be replaced with a wider and higher bridge to allow for expansion of the highway below.

Construction to close Laurel Bush RoadReplacement of a deteriorated culvert on Laurel Bush Road between Overview Drive and Falkland Road in Abingdon will cause the closing of Laurel Bush Road on or about June 20 for about one day.Motorists are asked to follow detour signs leading to alternate routes.Information: 638-3279 or 879-2620.Access road scheduled to be installedReplacement of the Poteet Road bridge over the East branch of Winters Run in Jarrettsville will force the closing of Poteet Road tomorrow for about four months.

The Howard County Planning Board has voted against funding the purchase of land to build a road that would serve a proposed mixed-use development in Clarksville, a potential setback for the county-backed project, which has struggled to secure highway access. About 150 people, including landowners in the area surrounding the former Gateway School site, showed up to a Thursday hearing in support of Kendall Hardware, which has been a vocal critic of a plan that county officials believe can breathe life into the stalled Clarksville Commons development on the county-owned land.

After more than three years, the Rev. J. Wesley Potter ca finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.With the completion of the new Kingsway Christian Center, Potter will bring his congregation from its temporary home at Parkville Middle School to the new center on a tract highly visible from Interstate 95 and the Beltway in Parkville. The building is scheduled for completion in the fall.More than three years ago, the congregation, previously known as the Baltimore Pentecostal Holiness Church, sold its building at 6000 Loch Raven Blvd.

Every time a major storm washes through Glen Arm, a branch of Cowen Run floods. And every time it floods, drivers -- faced with a waterlogged Glen Arm Road -- must travel miles out of their way or risk plowing through.Residents have long fought government officials over the issue, contending the problem could be fixed. Now they are battling a gravel access road under construction, which they believe will worsen the situation.The road is being built in the 11300 block of Glen Arm Road by resident James Novak, who said he simply wants to reach his landlocked property.