Route 424

Ice on the road led to a nine-car pileup on Route 424 in Davidsonville yesterday, the third ice-related crash in two days, county police said.A Chevrolet Citation was headed south toward U.S. 50 about 8:15 a.m. when it skidded on the ice and started doing loops in the middle of the highway, said Officer Terry Crowe, a county police spokesman.The Citation collided head-on with a Corvette, causing a chain reaction of crashes and fender benders as other motorists tried to avoid hitting the two cars.

A two-mile portion of Route 450 near Crofton will be closed for about two weeks, starting as early as Saturday, to perform drainage work that will reduce the threat of flooding, state highway officials said. Crews will replace metal pipes with concrete pipes along Route 450, between Route 424 and Huntwood Drive. The work is part of a $2.2 million drainage project that started in October and is expected to be completed in January. Local and residential traffic will have access through the area, state officials said.

A three-vehicle collision on Route 424 in Davidsonville injured five people yesterday morning, sending two adults and three Crofton teenagers to local hospitals, Anne Arundel County police said yesterday. About 6:30 a.m., Hermelinda A. Dempsey, 54, of Davidsonville was attempting to turn left from northbound Route 424 onto the U.S. 50 ramp when her Toyota Sequoia was struck by a sport utility vehicle heading south on Route 424, according to a news release issued yesterday afternoon. The occupants of the Jeep Cherokee that struck Dempsey's truck - a 17-year-old driver and two teenage passengers - were on their way to South River High School, a police spokeswoman said yesterday.

What major state road projects are beginning this year around Anne Arundel County? That spring feeling is here, accompanied by more hard hats, traffic cones and "slow" signs. We are entering road construction season. In the county, there are four state projects that are expected to commence in the coming weeks, according to the State Highway Administration: Ordnance Road (Route 710) and Chesapeake Centre Drive: Construction is set to start next week to create a separate through lane and right-turn lane on Ordnance Road.

State Highway Administration officials are seeking to ban certain large trucks from Routes 424 and 450 through Crofton during daylight.SHA officials met Tuesday night at Crofton Middle School with representatives of local civic associations, county and state police and a group called Citizens Against Truck Traffic on 424.During the meeting, Ed Meehan, the SHA district engineer, agreed to recommend the daytime ban to his bosses.The measure would bar trucks weighing more than 26,000 pounds from Route 424 between Route 3 and Rossback Road, and from Route 450 between Route 3 and Route 424. Trucks making local pickups or deliveries would be exempted.

An Edgewater man died yesterday afternoon at the Prince George's Medical Center from injuries he received after a tractor-trailer struck his Ford Bronco near the intersection of Route 424 and Governor Bridge Road, county police said.Robert Brashears, 45, died about 1:30 p.m., said Officer Robert Squire, a spokesman for the county police department's traffic investigation unit.A state police helicopter flew Mr. Brashears to the trauma center at the Prince George's hospital in Cheverly.Mr. Brashears sustained severe head injuries; the official cause of death will be determined by the state medical examiner, Officer Squire said.

A proposal to limit heavy truck traffic on portions of Routes 424 and 450 in Crofton will be the topic of a public hearing tomorrow night.The State Highway Administration is having the hearing at 7:30 p.m. at the Crofton Middle School.A proposed ban would be in effect from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. It would prohibit "through" trucks weighing more than 26,000 pounds from Route 424 between Route 3 and Route 50.It would also ban the trucks from Route 450 between Route 3 and Route 424.Trucks traveling to or from nearby gravel pits or other local addresses are considered "local" traffic instead of "through" traffic, and would not be subject to the ban.Residents asking for truck ban have said the many dump trucks using the roads to reach construction sites and gravel pits are noisy and pose a safety hazard.

In a small ravine near a community of town houses off Route 424, a family of beavers is frantically working to dam up a creek, oblivious to the political and ethical dilemma they pose.Crofton community officials want the animals out, but they are squeamish about a proposal by the state Department of Natural Resources to contract with trappers, who would be allowed to sell the pelts.Community officials have asked about the feasibility of capturingthe beavers and moving them, but that doesn't sit well with animal rights activists, who say it could traumatize the animals and separatethe adults from the young beavers, who could be left to die.Crofton Town Hall has received letters demanding the beavers be saved andone threat of a protest to close down Route 424 if the community allows the state to issue a permit to trappers.

A two-mile portion of Route 450 near Crofton will be closed for about two weeks, starting as early as Saturday, to perform drainage work that will reduce the threat of flooding, state highway officials said. Crews will replace metal pipes with concrete pipes along Route 450, between Route 424 and Huntwood Drive. The work is part of a $2.2 million drainage project that started in October and is expected to be completed in January. Local and residential traffic will have access through the area, state officials said.

A gunman robbed a Crofton pizza parlor Tuesday of an undisclosed amount of money, county police said.The man ordered a submarine sandwich at Pizza Boli's in the 2100 block of Defense Highway shortly before 8 p.m., police said.Police offered this account: The man walked in and out of the store twice, returned, pulled up his shirt to show a black handgun stuck in his pants and announced a robbery. He ordered all but manager Abdul Chaudry, 37, into a back room and forced them to lie on the floor.

A three-vehicle collision on Route 424 in Davidsonville injured five people yesterday morning, sending two adults and three Crofton teenagers to local hospitals, Anne Arundel County police said yesterday. About 6:30 a.m., Hermelinda A. Dempsey, 54, of Davidsonville was attempting to turn left from northbound Route 424 onto the U.S. 50 ramp when her Toyota Sequoia was struck by a sport utility vehicle heading south on Route 424, according to a news release issued yesterday afternoon. The occupants of the Jeep Cherokee that struck Dempsey's truck - a 17-year-old driver and two teenage passengers - were on their way to South River High School, a police spokeswoman said yesterday.

A Gaithersburg man was in fair condition yesterday after he lost control of his motorcycle on Route 450 just outside of Crofton on Saturday and rammed into a tree, emergency officials said.Tom Proctor, 43, of the 200 block of Hudson St. was westbound on Route 450 near Route 424 just after noon when he lost control of his motorcycle.The bike slid into a guardrail on the shoulder of the road, and Proctor was thrown over his handlebars into a tree, according to J. Gary Sheckells, a county EMS/Fire/Rescue spokesman.

A gunman robbed a Crofton pizza parlor Tuesday of an undisclosed amount of money, county police said.The man ordered a submarine sandwich at Pizza Boli's in the 2100 block of Defense Highway shortly before 8 p.m., police said.Police offered this account: The man walked in and out of the store twice, returned, pulled up his shirt to show a black handgun stuck in his pants and announced a robbery. He ordered all but manager Abdul Chaudry, 37, into a back room and forced them to lie on the floor.

An Edgewater man died yesterday afternoon at the Prince George's Medical Center from injuries he received after a tractor-trailer struck his Ford Bronco near the intersection of Route 424 and Governor Bridge Road, county police said.Robert Brashears, 45, died about 1:30 p.m., said Officer Robert Squire, a spokesman for the county police department's traffic investigation unit.A state police helicopter flew Mr. Brashears to the trauma center at the Prince George's hospital in Cheverly.Mr. Brashears sustained severe head injuries; the official cause of death will be determined by the state medical examiner, Officer Squire said.

A proposal to limit heavy truck traffic on portions of Routes 424 and 450 in Crofton will be the topic of a public hearing tomorrow night.The State Highway Administration is having the hearing at 7:30 p.m. at the Crofton Middle School.A proposed ban would be in effect from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. It would prohibit "through" trucks weighing more than 26,000 pounds from Route 424 between Route 3 and Route 50.It would also ban the trucks from Route 450 between Route 3 and Route 424.Trucks traveling to or from nearby gravel pits or other local addresses are considered "local" traffic instead of "through" traffic, and would not be subject to the ban.Residents asking for truck ban have said the many dump trucks using the roads to reach construction sites and gravel pits are noisy and pose a safety hazard.

It was a great weekend to be a Crofton resident.The weather could not have been nicer for the Arundel Volunteer Fire Department open house, and the turnout was good.* The volunteer firefighters aren't taking any time off between events.Their Fireman's Auction and Dance will be held from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday at the fire hall on Route 424.The auction will be held for two hours starting at 8 p.m.The dance begins right after the auction.Tickets for the entire night are $10. Tickets for the dance are $5 per person.

It was a great weekend to be a Crofton resident.The weather could not have been nicer for the Arundel Volunteer Fire Department open house, and the turnout was good.* The volunteer firefighters aren't taking any time off between events.Their Fireman's Auction and Dance will be held from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday at the fire hall on Route 424.The auction will be held for two hours starting at 8 p.m.The dance begins right after the auction.Tickets for the entire night are $10. Tickets for the dance are $5 per person.

State Highway Administration officials are seeking to ban certain large trucks from Routes 424 and 450 through Crofton during daylight.SHA officials met Tuesday night at Crofton Middle School with representatives of local civic associations, county and state police and a group called Citizens Against Truck Traffic on 424.During the meeting, Ed Meehan, the SHA district engineer, agreed to recommend the daytime ban to his bosses.The measure would bar trucks weighing more than 26,000 pounds from Route 424 between Route 3 and Rossback Road, and from Route 450 between Route 3 and Route 424. Trucks making local pickups or deliveries would be exempted.