Wheels

Over the last two weekends of October, highway crews will replace two bridges over the Baltimore-Washington Parkway that serve the airport and hotel district by rolling the old ones out and rolling the new ones in. The "bridge on wheels" swap, used in other states but making its debut in Maryland, saves time and money, reduces traffic disruptions and cuts the potential for work-zone accidents, State Highway Administration officials said. "We looked at traditional methods and with the traffic level there, closing the bridges wasn't an option for an extended period," said Jeff Robert, a state project engineer.

One has only to look back in time when Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. was Maryland's governor to recall Gov. Martin O'Malley offering feigned indignation regarding slots and gambling in Maryland, and look at his posture now. When Martin runs for president of the United States sometime in the future, I hope that the voters remember this duplicity and hand him what he deserves - an overwhelming thumbs down. F. Cordell, Lutherville

Amtrak, long one of the favorite whipping boys of fiscal conservatives, is getting another thrashing from Mitt Romney and the Republicans. From all the attacks, one might think that the nation's bargain-basement passenger rail system was the cause of the federal deficit. The reality is that Amtrak is attracting record ridership: 30 million passengers last year, and every month in the current fiscal year has been a record-setter, too. Amtrak ridership has increased more than 40 percent over the past decade, and that's not counting the millions more who ride commuter rail lines that depend on Amtrak infrastructure.

Howard County planners are developing a new bicycle master plan to guide road projects and connections to create a bike transportation network. The extensive plan is being developed over a year and will address bicycling capabilities on 300 roadways. It will also look at off-road paths and determine the need for bike racks, more bicycle commuting and a proposed shared bike system. In order to target specific locations that need improvement, the county is turning to interactive technology.

Laid-off Sparrows Point workers and retirees from the steel mill should soon be able to sign up for health insurance through a plan set up in another steelmaking region. Mill owner RG Steel - which stopped benefits Aug. 31 - asked for court approval Thursday to allow the Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corporation Retiree Benefits Plan to accept workers and retirees from Sparrows Point and its other facilities. The United Steelworkers union agreed to expand eligibility in the plan, and RG Steel said it doesn't think court approval is necessary, though it asked for it just in case.

When they sweep through the streets of Baltimore next weekend, driving some of the most powerful cars in the world at speeds that make their sport as dangerous as any, the IndyCar drivers will be mostly anonymous. Two veterans who have dominated the series, Helio Castroneves and Dario Franchitti, might be familiar names, but only because of outside interests. Castroneves won a "Dancing With the Stars" TV competition; Franchitti is married to actress Ashley Judd. Seeing their sport on the fringe of the mainstream for all but one race a year - the iconic Indianapolis 500 - has tormented racing insiders, who relentlessly promote the quality of the current circuit.

Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland needs volunteers to deliver meals to individuals throughout Baltimore County. Volunteers pick up prepacked meals at one of several distribution sites, then return the empty cooler and hotbox containers to the same location after they have delivered the meals to clients. On average, delivery routes take 60 minutes or less, and both individuals and businesses as well as parents with children may volunteer to "adopt" a route. To volunteer or learn more about Meals on Wheels, contact Liz Galea, 443-573-0940 or mail galea@mowcm.org ; or go to http://www.mealsonwheelsmd.org.

After slumping during the recession, sales of recreational vehicles are on the rise as U.S. consumers give in to the lure of the open road — with amenities — and are once again able to get credit to buy what many consider an affordable second home. Sales of RVs, which include travel trailers and motor homes, have been rising since 2010, according to the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association. Today, RV owners number nearly 9 million in the United States — a record. The increase comes thanks to more available credit, growing interest in RV travel, and a push by RV makers to load up the vacation homes on wheels with high-tech extras, the Reston, Va.-based association said.

Shelonda Stokes has a vision for this year's African American Festival — and it's a whopper. In her second year producing the festival, she's already excited about one of its new features: a fitness-craving flashmob, with enough people to earn a place in the Guinness Book of World Records, bopping and gyrating to the tune of Beyonce singing "Move Your Body. " That part's all planned and ready to go. Now here's the dream part: One of those dancers leading the way is first lady Michelle Obama.

The Harford County Department of Public Works has closed Wheel Road, between Patterson Mill Road and Laurel Bush Road for at least six months. The road closure, which took effect Wednesday, is for the latest work among a number of major improvements to Wheel Road. Motorists who normally travel this area of Wheel Road should make other arrangements during the period of the road closure. The county recently repaved part of Patterson Mill Road in anticipation of it being used as a detour route.