Route 450

In the past, concerns about wetlands halted plans for a western bypass around Route 3 in Crofton, but state highway officials are reviewing an alternative that may be more acceptable to state and federal environmental agencies.The proposed alignment would swing 2,000 to 3,000 feet west of the old route, halving the number of wetland acres that would be damaged, says Robert Scott, president of the Greater Crofton Council."It's one of these things where you've got to get a proper balance between the needs of people and the needs of nature," says Mr. Scott, whose community association represents several areas within the Crofton ZIP code but outside the Crofton special tax district.

On August 1, 2009, MARY FREDERICK; beloved wife of the late Edwin B. Frederick; devoted mother of Carol L. Hupp and Jane F. Doughty (Timothy). Also survived by three grandchildren, Gary, David, and Denise; five great-grandchildren, Anthony, Christopher, Bryan, Kayla, and Zach; three sisters, Berkeley Thompson, Doris Flack, and Betty Beck. Relatives and friends may call at the Robert E. Evans Funeral Home, Route 450 and Racetrack Road, Maryland on Wednesday, August 5 from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 PM, where funeral services will be held on Thursday at 10 AM. Interment at Maryland Veterans Cemetery, Crownsville, MD. Memorial contributions may be made to the Heartland Hospice Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 10086, Toledo, OH, 43699.

Route 450 closing, detour announced The State Highway Administration will close a section of Route 450, also called Defense Highway, to through traffic between Crofton and Annapolis this month to replace the bridge over Bacon Ridge Branch at the headwaters of the South River. Next week, detour signs will be posted advising motorists of the closure. After schools are dismissed for the summer, the roadway will be closed between Rutland Road and the Ridges Gateway. Motorists will be detoured to Route 424 (Davidsonville Road)

Crews will begin work in August on a $2.3 million project to widen the section of Route 3 that runs through Crofton, about the same time work is to be completed on an adjoining section in Prince George's County, state highway officials said last night.State Highway Administration District Engineer Paul Armstrong told the Crofton Civic Association board that the project, combined with two others to widen the highway from four to six lanes, should help relieve traffic congestion.Road crews are scheduled to complete in August a $2.7 million project that widened Route 3 to six lanes between the northern Route 450 interchange in Anne Arundel County and the southern route 450 interchange in Prince George's.

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.

Senior Star Showcase. Essex Community College. Needed are singers and dancers, ages 50 and up, for two main stage productions and touring shows. Rehearsals are 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays. Call for audition dates and times, 410-780-6535.Handel Choir of Baltimore. Limited openings in all sections for experienced singers for the 1998-1999 season. Full choir of 75 rehearses from 7: 45 p.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays, September through May. A smaller chamber choir rehearses Sunday evenings. Singers must be able to read music and commit fully to the rehearsal schedule.

The weekend's warm weather brought people out in their yards and meant a good turnout for the final Crofton Athletic Council spring sports registration session.However, if the sunny skies encouraged you to head for the great outdoors beyond the neighborhood and you missed the sign-up, don't fret. All you need to do is stop by Crofton Town Hall or head over to the Crofton Library and pick up a registration form.For more information, call 261-0196.*Congratulations to Crofton resident Roger L. Neal, who has been selected to lead the 148 volunteer firefighters and emergency medical technicians of the Arundel Volunteer Fire Department.

Boy using barbell dies when it pins himAn 11-year-old boy who was home from school yesterday because of illness died when a barbell he was lifting fell and pinned his body to a weight-lifting bench, county police said.Police said Nathan Paul Yetter, of the 8400 block of Piney Orchard Parkway, was exercising in the basement when the accident occurred. It was not known if the barbell fell on his neck or chest.The boy was found unconscious by his parents, the Rev. Timothy L. Yetter, and his wife, when they arrived home about noon.

Maryland officials are considering six possible designs for upgrading busy Route 3 in western Anne Arundel and northeastern Prince George's counties - a road where traffic is expected to increase 70 percent by the year 2025. Designs for the highway, which range in complexity from no major changes to to a road with overpasses and bike lanes, were displayed last week by the State Highway Administration. The state is studying a nine-mile stretch of the highway from U.S. 50 to Route 32. The study represents the latest effort to address transportation needs on Route 3. The state looked at establishing an interstate connection between Baltimore, Washington and Annapolis in the early 1980s, but the idea was abandoned because of strong opposition from residents in Bowie and Crofton.

The plans remain ready and rumors about their revival are hot, but state and Crofton officials say it is unlikely Route 3 will be turned into a major highway any time soon.The renewed discussion started last week, when Crofton Town Manager Jordan Harding met with Neal Pedersen, the planning director for the State Highway Administration.Harding said he wanted to discuss problem intersections and get a briefing on the Route 3 project because of rumors in the community that the state wanted to revive plans to upgrade Route 3 from Bowie to Millersville.