Traffic

(From the Getting There blog) Update: A suspicious package was also found at 201 W. Preston Street in Baltimore, according to Chief Kevin Cartwright, a spokesman for the Baltimore Fire Department. Only the mailroom of the building, which houses the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, was being evacuated at about 4 p.m. and the streets around it have been closed. Howard Street and Martin Luther King were closed at Preston during rush hour. Cars going south on Howard were diverted west onto Dolphin Street.

A Howard County police officer, conducting a traffic stop Friday night near Ellicott City, was struck by a woman allegedly driving under the influence, police said. Pfc. Terrance Sheppard, a 23-year veteran of the force, is being treated at Howard County General Hospital for injuries that are not life threatening, police said. He was hit shortly before midnight while investigating a traffic violation on Route 40 eastbound at Route 29. Sheppard was driving a marked Dodge Charger and had activated its emergency lights before leaving the vehicle about 11:45 p.m. The police car was struck in the rear by a Kia Sorento, driven by Sung Ok Jang, 45, of the 8000 block Randolph Way in Ellicott City, police said.

The Ravens worked hard for their championship win, but the city just got lucky with its victory events. That "only" one person was stabbed and "only" two were non-lethally trampled - with an extra 200,000 excited people downtown last Tuesday - is more a testament to goodwill than to good planning ("Police believe stabbing victim was downtown for parade," Feb. 6). There were major problems with mass transit and traffic (before, during, and after the event), and people jumped barricades into the parade.

Today, there are going to be major traffic delays in Baltimore County for the funeral procession for a Baltimore City police officer who was killed in a traffic accident. My heart cries out to his family. Every day he and his fellow officers put their lives on the line to protect us from harm and keep us safe. I couldn't respect these public servants any more than I already do, but I think it's ridiculous to paralyze a portion of the beltway as well as other roads causing havoc to drivers.

A motorcyclist was killed in an accident on the southbound ramp of 395 leading to Interstate 95 south about 6:30 pm as spectators were leaving the Orioles game, according to Kelly Melhem, a spokeswoman for the Maryland Transportation Authority. The accident closed down the 395 southbound ramp and traffic was being detoured onto northbound 395 and then onto 95. Motorists could then exit the highway, turn around and get back onto the interstate to go south. Melhem said few details were available about the accident early Monday evening, but another vehicle was believed to be involved.

A motivational speaking event at the First Mariner Arena Tuesday is expected to tie up downtown traffic and jam parking garages in the central business district for most of the day. According to the Baltimore Department of Transportation, thousands of people are expected to attend the "Get Motivated Business Seminar" at the arena, increasing the normal volume of traffic downtown. Officials are predicting traffic tie-ups during the morning and evening peak communting hours as a result of the event, which will last between 8 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. The transportation department is urging attendees to take light rail to the event, noting that free parking is available at several stations, including North Linthicum, Cromwell and Patapsco Avenue.

After several morning accidents Tuesday, including one pedestrian fatality in Baltimore County, most area traffic after 9 a.m. was slowed primarily by a disabled vehicle in Howard County, according to the state Department of Transportation. Baltimore Police said that a fatal accident on Liberty Road westbound in Milford Mill closed the shoulder and all through lanes as of 6:48 a.m. All lanes opened around 8:55 a.m., police reported. A disabled vehicle on MD 100 at Exit 8 (Coca Cola Drive)

Just in time for your last trips to the beach, a new state website catalogs road travel information in one online place. You should definitely check www.Md511.com before you're headed out on your next car trip to check for potential construction delays or collisions that could cause you to sit in inching traffic. And! You can save your regular trips in the My Maryland 511 section of the website, so you can quickly check conditions, which is why we're featuring it as our Consumer Website of the Week . But you can also call 511 from any phone to find out about problems you encounter once you're already on the road.

As of 8:30 a.m., state highway officials reported a two-vehicle crash at Maryland 295 north at Maryland 100 in Anne Arundel County, where one lane and the shoulder were closed. The Maryland Transit Administration reported no delays at 8:30 a.m.

United Airlines said Monday that January traffic rose, and it collected more revenue from each passenger. United said it collected 9.5 percent to 11.5 percent more for each passenger flown one mile in January compared with January 2009. Throughout last year airlines struggled to raise fares, so any increase in so-called unit revenue should be welcomed by the industry. - Associated Press div.talkforum #creditfooter { display: none; } div.talkforum .feedItemAuthor { display: none; }