$750K Streetscape Project In Oakland Mills To Start

From HOoCo: Howard County Executive Allan H. Kittleman today announced a construction project to improve mobility, access and safety for vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle traffic along Whiteacre Road, between Stevens Forest Road and Basket Ring Road, in Oakland Mills.

The $750,000 project will construct green infrastructure stormwater management facilities, sidewalks, and roadway medians. It will also provide pedestrian crossings, dedicated bike lanes, lighting, on-street parking, landscaping and bus shelters.

“This project will improve access along Whiteacre Road for all residents of Oakland Mills,” said Howard County Executive Allan H. Kittleman. “These streetscape and safety improvements are just one way we’ve been working to ensure the village continues to grow sustainably.”

The work is part of the Whiteacre Road Complete Street project. Complete Street projects provide safe and convenient mobility options for pedestrians, cyclists, vehicle drivers and transit riders in Howard County.

“The Oakland Mills Community Association is excited to see this project get underway,” said Jonathan Edelson, Chairman of the Oakland Mills Village Board of Directors. “We have advocated for years for revitalization of our Village Center area, and the streetscape, along with news of new tenants coming to the Village Center and the county's support for a new Talbott Springs Elementary School, demonstrates commitment to invest in the next 50 years in Oakland Mills.”

The Whiteacre Road improvements represent one of several county capital budget projects ongoing in the community this year, the 50th anniversary of the Oakland Mills village. Those improvements include the recent completion of Phase II of the planned 300-acre Blandair Park, along Route 175 in March, and Phase III of the project, which broke ground in August. The county opened Phase I of the park in 2012.

The initial two phases of the park’s construction have included the building of three lighted synthetic turf multipurpose fields, a playground, a challenge course designed for teens and adults, five tennis courts, two synthetic turf baseball fields, pavilion/shade structures, green space, bathrooms and parking facilities.

Earlier this year, the county opened the Route 29 Bicycle Pedestrian Bridge that connects Oakland Mills with Downtown Columbia. The renovation project added better lighting and made it safer for those using the bridge.

“Projects such as these are what we need to accomplish our goal of revitalization of our Village Center area,” said Virginia Thomas, the Columbia Association for Oakland Mills. “We value our partnership with the county government and the Columbia Association.”

Weather permitting, construction of the Whiteacre Road improvements is to begin in November and is expected to be completed by late spring or early summer 2019.

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