Two Lanes

They are among the most reviled figures driving our roads: those who clog the left lanes of our highways and get in the way of red-blooded Americans who just want to get somewhere fast. A reminder of this species of driver comes from reader Carl I. Thistel of Baltimore, who suggested - "as someone who is disposed to at least maintain if not slightly exceed the posted speed limit" - that this column address the subject of "left lane huggers." "From my own observations [they] fall into two basic types: the BLUENOSES who believe they have been anointed with the mission to keep traffic at or below the posted speed limit, and the OBLIVIOUS who remain steadfastly focused on where they are going and at a speed they feel comfortable with," he continued.

Repaving in the area where a pedestrian footbridge collapsed after being hit by an improperly loaded truck will close two lanes of the Baltimore Beltway in both directions today and tomorrow, state highway officials said.Two lanes of the inner loop will be closed from 7 p.m. today to 5 a.m. tomorrow, according to highway authorities. Two lanes of the outer loop will close at 9 p.m. tomorrow and reopen at 5 a.m. Tuesday.Signs, arrow boards and orange traffic drums will be placed along the affected areas, and motorists are asked to stay alert and use caution when driving through the work zones.

The state announced yesterday a new attempt to ease the maddening, three-mile traffic backups that have plagued drivers on Mountain Road in Pasadena for years. The center lane on a stretch of the three-lane road will become a reversible lane during rush hours.During the morning, a new signal light will open the center lane on the 1 3/4-mile stretch between Route 100 and South Carolina Avenue to westbound traffic only. During evening, the lane will be used by eastbound traffic only. At other times, it will continue to be a two-way turn lane.

In a move to end 3-mile traffic jams along one of Anne Arundel's peninsulas -- among the worst backups in the Baltimore suburbs -- the state yesterday announced a reversible-lane system that borrows from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.The $1.5 million system, similar to one used on the bridge, targets a three-lane stretch of Pasadena's Mountain Road, the only direct link from Ritchie Highway to the Fort Smallwood peninsula and Gibson Island.Using special traffic signals, nearly two miles of the center lane -- now used for turns -- will be transformed into a westbound lane during the morning rush hour and an eastbound lane in the evening.

The State Highway Administration's $5.4 million construction project on Route 22 in Bel Air is half finished and on schedule to open in summer 1996.The two-mile rebuilding of the road between Shamrock Road and just east of Route 543 includes widening it by two lanes, improving drainage, relocating a stream and landscaping.Chuck Brown, spokesman for the SHA, said the improvements are necessary to handle heavy traffic and to increase safety."There is a lot of traffic heading out to Havre de Grace and Aberdeen Proving Ground," Mr. Brown said.

A 25-year-old Baltimore woman was critically injured yesterday when her car slammed into the back of a tractor-trailer and a jersey barrier on northbound Interstate 95, toll facilities police said.Leora Yael Hamosh of Portland Street received extensive head injuries and a broken arm shortly before 9:25 a.m. when she switched from a left lane to the center lane and her car struck the back of the flatbed tractor-trailer, police said.The car careened off the flatbed, hit the jersey barrier, spun out of control and crashed into the truck a second time, police said.

Here's what to look for if you are traveling in the Baltimore metropolitan area this week. This list of highway projects includes only newly announced work, not continuing construction.New highway projectsBaltimore Beltway between Route 40 and Milford Mill Road -- A two-year repaving and upgrading of a five-mile section begins tomorrow. Most construction will take place at night, though single lanes may be closed during the day.West Ring Factory Road, between Route 924 and Route 24, south of Bel Air -- Will be closed to traffic until February from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays for reconstruction.

Here's what to look for if you are traveling in the Baltimore metropolitan area this week.New highway projectsU.S. 1 North -- Traffic from Miller Road to Sheradale Drive has been switched to the new three-lane roadway while the southbound roadway is reconstructed. There is daily two-lane traffic southbound until noon, when traffic is reversed to two lanes northbound. A concrete barrier prohibits left turns onto and off Miller Road. Miller Road will be closed for two months.Detours will be through Perry Hall Road and Pepper Hill Road.

Here's what to look for if you are traveling in the Baltimore metropolitan area this week. This list of highway projects includes only newly announced work, not continuing construction, which is extensive on several highways, including Interstate 95, U.S. 50/301 and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.New highway projectsU.S. 1 North -- Traffic from Miller Road to Sheradale Drive has been switched to the new three-lane roadway while the southbound roadway is reconstructed. There is daily two-lane traffic southbound until noon, when traffic is reversed to two lanes northbound.

If you're heading for the ocean this holiday weekend, think of Louis O. Kelley when you cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.Mr. Kelley, 55, has spent his adult life trying to keep motorists happy and traffic running smoothly on the 4.3-mile spans.A lifelong Shore resident, he joined the bridge patrol almost 33 years ago, when he was 22 and the bridge was 7 years old. He worked his way up through the ranks and in 1980 became superintendent of the William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge, as it is officially called.

The $56 million reconstruction of the Thomas J. Hatem Memorial Bridge across the Susquehanna River, which begins June 9, will disrupt traffic along the Route 40 corridor during the next three years. The entire deck on the nearly 1.5-mile span between Havre de Grace and Perryville will be replaced for the first time in its 70-year history. Crews will also repair substructure concrete piers, install a permanent concrete barrier in the center for the length of the bridge and widen the lanes slightly, by restructuring existing barrier walls.

They are among the most reviled figures driving our roads: those who clog the left lanes of our highways and get in the way of red-blooded Americans who just want to get somewhere fast. A reminder of this species of driver comes from reader Carl I. Thistel of Baltimore, who suggested - "as someone who is disposed to at least maintain if not slightly exceed the posted speed limit" - that this column address the subject of "left lane huggers." "From my own observations [they] fall into two basic types: the BLUENOSES who believe they have been anointed with the mission to keep traffic at or below the posted speed limit, and the OBLIVIOUS who remain steadfastly focused on where they are going and at a speed they feel comfortable with," he continued.

State transportation workers are scheduled to shift lanes along Interstate 95 tomorrow as they continue the bridge repair project north of the Fort McHenry Tunnel toll plaza. Under the new traffic pattern, I-95 will be divided between the toll plaza and Exit 57, Boston/O'Donnell Street. Two lanes will go to the left of construction, and two lanes will go to the right. Motorists seeking to exit at Boston/O'Donnell Street must stay in the right two lanes after leaving the toll plaza. The new traffic pattern is expected to continue until mid-October.

A selection of road advisories for the Baltimore metro region. Previously listed closures still may be in effect. Closures are subject to weather conditions. Anne Arundel County 1) Bay Bridge West, lanes closed 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, reopening by 5 a.m. the next day. One lane closed 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Left lane closed at 9 a.m. Friday to permit use by eastbound traffic. 2) Md. 100 between Md. 10 and Md. 177, lane closures 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

A selection of road advisories for the Baltimore metro region. Priority is given to new projects. Previously listed closures still may be in effect. Anne Arundel County 1) Bay Bridge Westbound: Two lanes closed 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; full span closed 10 p.m. All lanes reopen by 5 a.m. the next day. Eastbound: Right lane closed Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. Span to carry two-way traffic during complete westbound span closures. 2) I-695, from entrance ramp of Md. 10 to end of Curtis Creek Drawbridge, one northbound lane closed 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Wednesday.

A hearing will be held tomorrow to discuss alleviating traffic congestion on Interstate 95. One of the proposals being considered includes express toll lanes. The 10-mile stretch of highway being discussed begins at the I-95 and Interstate 895 split and ends north of White Marsh Boulevard (Route 43). Conducted by the Maryland Transportation Authority, the hearing will be from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Perry Hall Middle School, 4300 Ebenezer Road. From 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., residents can review materials and displays.

Getting out of downtown Baltimore is getting even harder - starting today. At 5 a.m., the city is imposing a split traffic pattern on the northbound Jones Falls Expressway to create a work zone in the middle of two lanes - a step that essentially marks the halfway point in the first major reconstruction of the midtown portion of the highway since it was built 41 years ago. The primary route into and out of downtown for thousands of workers, the JFX...

COLUMBIA RESIDENT Caroline Evans wonders about roads in "downtown" Columbia, including one intersection that is "not a major problem, [but] still an inconvenient situation." "Each week when I see your column I mean to write to you about a problem where Governor Warfield Parkway joins Little Patuxent Parkway," Evans said. "The two lanes from Governor Warfield Parkway feed into the center and right lanes of Little Patuxent Parkway. In the past they were the two through lanes. The left lane merged into the center lane before Little Patuxent Parkway crossed U.S. 29. "Then, this spring, roadwork was done on Little Patuxent Parkway so that the right lane now feeds into the exit for U.S. 29 south and the two through lanes are the left and the center lane," she said.

Don't redraw those maps just yet. After meeting with a skeptical reaction from residents at a recent unveiling of plans for a new Route 216 in Howard County, the State Highway Administration is rethinking its proposal to widen the road to six lanes. At a hearing June 26 at Hammond High School, SHA officials introduced detailed plans for a six-lane Route 216 between U.S. 29 and Interstate 95. The $25 million overhaul of the 2.6-mile stretch, now two lanes, is supposed to begin in the summer of next year and be completed in the fall of 2004.

With morning commuter traffic backing up daily onto Interstate 70, Maryland highway officials have agreed to provide most of the money to widen U.S. 29 along three miles in Ellicott City in an effort to relieve the congestion. The morning - and evening - bumper-to-bumper jams testify to the popularity of the $289 million Route 100 project, which provided a new freeway connecting Ellicott City to Interstate 95. Shortly after that road opened in November 1998, motorists drawn to the smooth, curvy new highway found themselves crowded on U.S. 29 - southbound drivers waiting to get on the new road each morning, and northbound drivers waiting to exit each evening.