New Traffic Signal to be Operational at the 235/First Colony Boulevard in St. Mary’s Co. Tuesday

[David]

New Traffic Patterns in Effect for Woodland Acres Road and Oak Drive at MD 4

(April 10, 2019) – Tomorrow, the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) will activate the new traffic signal at the MD 235 (Three Notch Road) and First Colony Boulevard/California Boulevard intersection in California. At the same time, turning movements on Oak Drive will be permanently restricted to allow turns from northbound MD 4 (Patuxent Beach Road) to turn right onto Oak Drive.

The Woodland Acres community can be accessed from Northbound MD 4 or the full traffic movement access on MD 235. MDOT SHA’s, Penn Ave. Construction of Prince Frederick, will continue remaining work on the project including installing new concrete curb and gutter, paving and striping on Oak Drive between MD 4 and Christy Court. All work should be complete by early May.

While MDOT SHA and its transportation partners work hard to maintain safe traffic mobility in work zones, each driver needs to actively modify his or her driving style to help prevent crashes. Stay alert and look for reduced speed limits, narrow driving lanes and highway workers. Slow down and don’t follow too closely. Drive like you work here and pay close attention in work zones.

 

[spr1975wshs]

My wife and I lived in a spacious 1-bedroom apartment in a house on Christy Ct for the 1st year we were here.
Nice quiet neighborhood.

 

[BernieP]

I'm not familiar with the neighborhood, but I thnk this is one case where SHA may have done good by all.
The Rt 4 access (Northbound only) should deter use of the neighborhood as a short cut (unless you like taking the long way or driving in circles).
It also gives the residents a safe exit.
Plus it doesn't add a new light to either 235 or Rt 4 - hooray, an intersection that is aligned,

 

[glhs837]

Not sure about your "Not a shortcut" thing. Wont folks pile off of 235 and hit it going north towards Solomons?

 

[spr1975wshs]

Not sure about your "Not a shortcut" thing. Wont folks pile off of 235 and hit it going north towards Solomons?

They may not when they find out it's not really a short shortcut, especially if Oak is made entry only from NB 4.

 

[Goldenhawk]

This was a pretty poorly-worded press release. I think the language was more confusing than helpful. "Permanently restricted to allow" is self-contradictory.

If I understand the new traffic pattern, "At the same time, turning movements on Oak Drive will be permanently restricted to allow turns from northbound MD 4 (Patuxent Beach Road) to turn right onto Oak Drive" was missing the word "only" - I think it should have been worded "permanently restricted to only allow right turns from northbound MD 4 onto Oak Drive"...

In other words, you can't turn right from Oak Drive onto northbound Rt 4. You can only enter the neighborhood at Oak Drive, not leave it.

I attend the church across from Oak Drive, and the poor folks waiting to exit that neighborhood, especially south (towards Wildewood) have long been unable to safely and quickly turn left due to the high volume of traffic on 4. The new stoplight at Patuxent Blvd made things worse, because now when that light turns green there's a southbound constant solid line of traffic for up to a minute each cycle, as backed up traffic gets through the light. If that traffic happens to coincide with the 4/235 stoplight, it can take many minutes to find a clear spot to turn, even NOT during rush hour.

So this change basically pushes most of that neighborhood traffic to the First Colony stoplight, eliminating a dangerous left turn across traffic, and coincidentally fully preventing "Waze neighborhood abuse" trying to bypass the 4/235 intersection. It also makes it a bit easier for church attendees, since we don't have to deconflict with traffic exiting Oak Drive.

The only thing that I feel bad about is the houses close to the First Colony light - what once was a sleepy back end of the neighborhood is now its front door.

 

[Goldenhawk]

(Of course, the neighborhood is going to be traffic hell for a few weeks until all the people TRY to bypass the 235/4 intersection, discover they cannot, and have to loop back through the neighborhood to First Colony... Hah!)

 

[BernieP]

(Of course, the neighborhood is going to be traffic hell for a few weeks until all the people TRY to bypass the 235/4 intersection, discover they cannot, and have to loop back through the neighborhood to First Colony... Hah!)

hopefully they read the notice(s) on the new traffic pattern. I think the restricted entrance off Rt4 is very smart. But stupid is as stupid does.
I think there was a sign on the pole at 235 that it was not a through street or something as well. Wonder if that's permanent.

 

[Goldenhawk]

I walked thru the entire Woodland Acres neighborhood today. What I thought is true: Oak Drive is now ONLY an entrance, and the exit lane is blocked; it looks like they are removing pavement today. So now all outbound access is ONLY at the First Colony stoplight. There can be no "bypass the traffic" drivers, unless they're willing to completely run 200 yards wrong way down a one-way Oak Drive, and (probably) over a median preventing right turns onto northbound Route 4...

For once, SHA did something right.

 

[Goldenhawk]

hopefully they read the notice(s) on the new traffic pattern. I think the restricted entrance off Rt4 is very smart. But stupid is as stupid does.
I think there was a sign on the pole at 235 that it was not a through street or something as well. Wonder if that's permanent.

Very permanent. It looks like they're completely taking out the exiting-the-neighborhood lane on Oak Drive.

 

[spr1975wshs]

Very permanent. It looks like they're completely taking out the exiting-the-neighborhood lane on Oak Drive.

That is what I thought the original announcement meant; Oak Street, enter only, from NB 4.

 

[BOP]

New Traffic Patterns in Effect for Woodland Acres Road and Oak Drive at MD 4

(April 10, 2019) – Tomorrow, the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) will activate the new traffic signal at the MD 235 (Three Notch Road) and First Colony Boulevard/California Boulevard intersection in California. At the same time, turning movements on Oak Drive will be permanently restricted to allow turns from northbound MD 4 (Patuxent Beach Road) to turn right onto Oak Drive.

The Woodland Acres community can be accessed from Northbound MD 4 or the full traffic movement access on MD 235. MDOT SHA’s, Penn Ave. Construction of Prince Frederick, will continue remaining work on the project including installing new concrete curb and gutter, paving and striping on Oak Drive between MD 4 and Christy Court. All work should be complete by early May.

While MDOT SHA and its transportation partners work hard to maintain safe traffic mobility in work zones, each driver needs to actively modify his or her driving style to help prevent crashes. Stay alert and look for reduced speed limits, narrow driving lanes and highway workers. Slow down and don’t follow too closely. Drive like you work here and pay close attention in work zones.

Great. Yet another signal that doesn't work worth crap.

 

[my-thyme]

Very permanent. It looks like they're completely taking out the exiting-the-neighborhood lane on Oak Drive.

Wish they'd do the same by the Sheetz in Great Mills.....

 

[glhs837]

You mean the Old Great Mil

Wish they'd do the same by the Sheetz in Great Mills.....

You mean the Old Great Mills Road exit onto RT 5?

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

 

[my-thyme]

You mean the Old Great Mil



You mean the Old Great Mills Road exit onto RT 5?

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

www.google.com

Yes, that one. Close it off where Great Mills road intersects it, make it strictly for the folks living there or exiting Sheetz.

 

[Agee]

That new (Oak drive bypass) access road took around two months to complete. It took a year to re-configure and re-pave the section of road affected by the new Harris Teeter complex...
To all come into St. Mary's for their work day, can someone explain to me why the traffic backs-up so badly at the Patuxent BLVD. light?

 

[glhs837]

Yes, that one. Close it off where Great Mills road intersects it, make it strictly for the folks living there or exiting Sheetz.

See, I like taking a left from GMR EB onto that road to go to Sheetz. . Much less exposure than making a U-turn.

 

[Goldenhawk]

I think they're pretty serious... permanent signs, messing with the pavement... definitely inbound only from Rt 4. Of course, I'm sure some people will still try running it from time to time...

 

[BernieP]

Great. Yet another signal that doesn't work worth crap.

huh?

Seriously dude, read. Technically there is no new signal. It's the same signal at First Colony that was already there, adjusted for the new road - imagine they even aligned the road to the existing intersection (not like Buck Hewitt).

And the cluster that is the lights - plural at Expedition and Exploration. Maybe someone should have thought about ONE light and not two within a few hundred yards.

Or the extra light for Wally World, that isn't timed to jack squat.

NO LIGHT on Rt 4, the only thing you can do is make a right from RT 4 onto Oak. Nobody is coming out onto Rt 4 - hence, no signal.

 

[BernieP]

I think they're pretty serious... permanent signs, messing with the pavement... definitely inbound only from Rt 4. Of course, I'm sure some people will still try running it from time to time...
View attachment 136382

LOL I wonder how dolts will get there and decide to go past the do not enter sign. We know a hell of a lot of drivers don't know what "Right Lane Must Turn Right" means.