Turn Left

The State Highway Administration will temporarily prevent traffic on eastbound and westbound Route 140 from turning onto Gorsuch Road south in Westminster beginning today.Motorists will be directed to the following detours for about two weeks:From eastbound Route 140, turn right on Center Street, left on Court Street, left on Greenwood Street, left on Manchester Street and right onto Gorsuch Road south.From westbound Route 140, turn left on Center Street and follow the same directions as above to Gorsuch Road south.

While state planners look into the next millennium for improvements to Route 140, relief is at hand for one intersection along the congested artery.J. Michael Evans, Carroll County's director of public works, said the extension of Ralph Street from Route 140 to Greenwood Avenue could be ready by Christmas."It's possible, depending on the weather," Evans said. The project, which was expected to be done in the spring, has moved ahead of schedule.A small road at 0.2 miles, the Ralph Street extension will provide direct access to county government and school offices, the courthouses and jail.

BEL AIR -- Maryland State Police say they will seek signal changes and possibly a lower speed limit at a busy Harford County intersection where a 6-year-old girl and her grandmother were killed Saturday."

Where: Western Maryland College, WestminsterPractices: Camp runs through Aug. 14. All practices are free and open to the public. Times are from 9 a.m. to 11: 30 a.m. and 2: 45 p.m. to 5 p.m.Hotline: 410-261-FANSDirections from Baltimore: Take I-695 to Exit 19 to I-795 north to its end. Follow signs to Westminster via Route 140 north to Route 97 north. Turn left on exit ramp onto Pennsylvania Avenue. Go about 1 mile and turn left on Monroe Street. Turn right at Winters Alley. Parking lot is on left.

Washingtonians still find a trip into Baltimore an exotic expedition. They can get to Camden Yards, they know where the Inner Harbor is. But ask them to go anywhere else in the Queen City of the Patapsco Drainage Basin and they start to panic, especially if they're on a strict schedule, which goes for just about everyone I know from there - especially your Washington media types.So that might explain the overkill in a set of directions posted last Wednesday for all reporters, photographers, videographers and federal and state government and law enforcement officials who planned to attend a news conference in East Baltimore.

A CERTIFIED techno-geek friend was so tickled with the navigational device in his rental car on a recent visit that he called me on his cellular phone to make me listen to it say "Turn left." It did get him to my front door but not before it had sent him several blocks out of his way.No surprise there. Advanced computer technologies are often considered ready to sell to everyday folks once they work reliably most, but not all, of the time. If aviation accepted such standards, you might not be surprised to hear this announcement: "Ladies and gentlemen, we will be landing on a freeway adjacent to the airport.

Neighborly state fairIf the Maryland State Fair ended too soon for you, take a short trip north.The York County Fair begins tomorrow and continues through Sept. 14. It takes place at the York County Fairgrounds and features all the expected exhibits, including livestock and carnival rides.As of press time, the scheduled grandstand performers were: Sept. 6, Julio Iglesias; Sept. 7, Vince Gill; Sept. 8, the Statlers; Sept. 9, Michael Bolton; Sept. 12, Alan Jackson; Sept. 13, Alabama; Sept. 14, Billy Ray Cyrus.

REGULAR READERS of this column know of our deep affection for those motorists who make right turns from the left lane, left turns from the right lane, or get in a center turn lane and do nothing.And, apparently, you share our affection, judging by the letters and calls we receive citing such instances.Today's example from any lane available, regardless of traffic.Said Sherri James, who lives in Reisterstown, "People turn left [from the wrong lanes] all of the time and then look shocked when the person making the left-hand turn legally blows their horn at them.

We've all seen and perhaps even performed the little ditty that an Owings Mills commuter refers to as the "tap and glide" as we coast through a stop sign.But it's a dangerous two-step when it involves an Mass Transit Administration bus at a crowded Metro stop during rush hour.The commuter, a downtown attorney, said MTA buses routinely roll through stop signs at the sprawling Owings Mills Metro station. What makes matters worse, he said, is that many stop signs are at pedestrian crosswalks and near pick-up/drop-off lanes where commuters constantly are afoot.

Annapolis. -- On Monday I came here to watch the new governor meet the old greens. It was worth the trip.In these first days of his administration, Parris Glendening appears to be off to a flying start. He has poise, confidence, a better understanding of the subtleties of symbolic politics than any Maryland governor I remember, and a beguiling personal diffidence that contrasts nicely with the egomania of his predecessor.These are only tools, of course, and not everyone with good tools does good work with them.

BOWIE BAYSOX League -- Double-A Eastern Affiliation -- Orioles since 1993 Stadium -- Prince George's Directions -- Take I-97 south to U.S. 3, cross U.S. 50 to second light; turn for stadium is on the left. Phone -- 301-805-6000 Web site -- baysox.com manager -- Brad Komminsk FREDERICK KEYS League -- Single-A Carolina Affiliation -- Orioles since 1989 Stadium -- Harry Grove Directions -- Take I-70 west to Exit 54, Market Street, turn left at the first traffic light, then right onto Sta dium Drive.

Yesterday morning, the driver in the lane to the right of me decided to turn left - and did. All I saw was a flash of turquoise as it cut first in front of me and then in front of the car in the lane to the left. But, hey, that's OK - what's a little heart-jolting fright among your fellow drivers, when you have this very important need to make that left turn, right this minute. On Sunday afternoon, I was driving up I-95 and, this time, the flash was a beige one. Impatient with the seemingly brisk, 70-plus mph flow of traffic, Beige on Wheels weaved across the lanes, nosing into the smallest of openings that would propel him toward his destination, oh, maybe three minutes faster.

Mike Schaefer's name used to be seen on a lot of campaign signs in town during his spectacularly unsuccessful 2006 run for the U.S. Senate. Now, having recovered from his 1.3 percent showing in the Democratic primary, he'd just like to see his name in print addressing one serious problem. It's not quite in the league of global warming or world hunger, but it matters to him. "The law clearly and specifically provides that a vehicle on a one-way street can turn RIGHT or LEFT onto a one-way street if there is no traffic in the intersection," Schaefer wrote.

Through Aug. 19, McDaniel College, Westminster TODAY Practice 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.; 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Directions from Baltimore via Interstate 695 Take I-695 (Baltimore Beltway) to Exit 19 onto I-795 (Northwest Expressway) and continue to its end. Follow signs to Westminster via Route 140 West to Route 31 South; at blinking traffic light, turn left (Route 31); at first traffic light, turn left onto Main Street. Go up the hill; the entrance to the Ravens' visitors' parking is on your left.

In the past I have heard many complaints about many roads in Howard County. The chief complaint generators are Route 32, U.S. 40 and roundabouts wherever they are located. But based on the number of comments and questions received over the past few weeks, I believe Route 99 may nudge aside these roads to take its place as Howard County's worst. Joseph Schroen probably agrees with that assessment. Although he does not live on Route 99, he lives just off it, on Melba Road in Ellicott City.

Homes are still available at Hallie Hill Farm, Masonry Homes' single-family home development in Carroll County. Hallie Hill, designed in a traditional style, expects to offer 71 homes in the development. A variety of designs include two-story Colonials, rancher and first-floor master-suite floor plans. Some feature libraries, two-story foyers and sunken family rooms. Public water and sewer, natural gas, two-car garages and a 10-year warranty program are among the standard features. Plenty of options are available, including flooring, kitchen and bathroom upgrades.

Winchester Homes has packed in the luxuries with its Chapel Grove townhouses in Odenton. The two- to three-bedroom townhouses include upscale standards, such as mix-and-match floor plans, open designs and kitchen gourmet islands. In the upstairs level, buyers have a choice of having two master suites or three bedrooms. An optional sitting room or expanded bathroom is available. With a traditional style and brick fronts, the 159 townhouses come with or without garages and have lower-level walkout doors, hardwood foyers and powder rooms; 9-foot, first-floor ceilings; and upgraded kitchens.

Executive-home builder D.R. Horton has made its first entrance into Harford County by building its Willow Chase community in Bel Air. With 12 floor plans, which range from 3,000 square feet to the 7,000-square-foot model, the homes are designed in a classic style but can be customized to fit just about any taste. The floor plans include a rancher plan with 3,200 square feet and two-story plans with first-floor master bedroom configurations. The eventual 51 homes will be built on approximately one-acre lots, many backing the Maryland Golf and Country Club or a woods setting.

St. Luke's Station West Lake Builders is introducing a limited number of single-family homes at its new St. Luke's Station community in Woodlawn. The Colonial-style homes offer 1,600 to 2,500 square feet, and are priced from $189,000 to $220,000. Many amenities come standard at the development, which will contain six single-family homes upon completion. Features include three to four bedrooms, 2.5 to 3.5 bathrooms, basements, and single-car garages. Upgraded kitchen appliances include a refrigerator, microwave and self-cleaning oven - also standard.

Koch Homes has sold 27 single-family homes in its eventual, 67-home development of Crofton Colony in Anne Arundel County. The community is designed for those ages 55 and older who want an active lifestyle. Crofton Colony offers ranch styling. The dimensions are particularly deep for this type of house, the builder says -- 40 feet wide by 60 feet deep. Options include a finished basement, kitchen upgrades, floor upgrades and decks. Prices for the houses range from $347,900 to $372,900.