'Smart Signals' To Be Installed On Route 1 In Bel Air

BEL AIR, MD — Traffic relief is on the way for Bel Air drivers, according to state officials.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced $50.3 million in transportation improvements this week that will update traffic signals along several major corridors statewide, including on Route 1 in Bel Air.

The improvements will come by way of "smart signals," a traffic control system that is responsive to real-time traffic conditions. It will replace a more than 20-year-old system that was programmed and did not adapt to actual road conditions, according to a statement from the governor. The new system will incorporate software that will detect changes in traffic patterns and modify signals accordingly.

The new signal system will be installed on Route 1 between Tollgate Road and Atwood Road in Bel Air.

The Route 1 corridor in Bel Air was one of 14 areas where the governor said "smart signals" would be installed in the new $50.3 million project to ease traffic congestion across Maryland.

"By replacing 20-year-old existing controls with Smart Traffic Signals, we will have the ability to respond to changes in traffic flow, as well as traffic conditions immediately – benefiting nearly 700,000 Maryland citizens across the state," Hogan said in a statement.

There are 32,400 people daily who travel along the 0.5-mile stretch of Route 1 in Bel Air, officials reported.

Here are the areas statewide where the signals will be deployed:

• Anne Arundel County – Annapolis: MD 2/Solomons Island Road from Annapolis Harbor Center to Tarragon Lane
• Anne Arundel County – Brooklyn Park: MD 2/Ritchie Highway from Hammonds Lane to 11th Avenue
• Anne Arundel County - Crofton: MD 3/Crain Highway from MD 450 to St. Stephens Church Road
• Baltimore County - Towson: MD 139/North Charles Street from Kenilworth Avenue to I-695 outer loop ramp
• Baltimore County - Catonsville: US 40/Baltimore National Pike from Coleridge Road to Nuwood Drive
• Charles County - Waldorf: MD 5/Leonardtown Road from Post Office Road to US 301
• Charles County - Waldorf: MD 228 from Western Parkway to US 301
• Charles County - Waldorf: US 301 from Chadds Ford Drive to MD 227
• Harford County - Bel Air: US 11/Baltimore Pike from Tollgate Road to Atwood Road
• Harford County - Aberdeen: MD 22 from Technology Way to North Rogers Street/US 40 ramp
• Howard County - Elkridge: US 1/Washington Boulevard from Montgomery Road to MD 175
• Prince George's County - Bowie: US 301 from Excalibur Road to Governor's Bridge Road
• Prince George's County - Landover - MS 202 from McCormick Drive to Arena Drive
• Montgomery County - Olney - MD 108 from MD 182 to Volunteer Drive

Map via Google satellite. Picture courtesy of Google streetview.