Speed Cameras Coming to US 29 in Columbia

As a project to widen US 29 progresses, the Maryland State Highway Administration plans to install speed cameras on a section of the road in Howard County.

Workers have been excavating along the median on US 29 so that a third northbound lane can be added between Seneca Drive and MD Route 175, according to a statement from the State Highway Administration.

The next phase of the project includes median area paving and overnight patching on US 29 north between Broken Lane Parkway and MD Route 32, the statement said.

To keep workers and drivers safe, speed cameras will be installed starting Monday, Dec. 1, according to the statement.

Large signs will alert drivers to the presence of cameras, and a device will display the speed limit and drivers’ speeds before they get to the speed enforcement camera, the statement said.

The speed limit in the work zone is 55 mph, state highway officials said.

There will be a 21-day warning period as drivers get adjusted to the cameras, and citations will start getting issued on Monday, Dec. 22, the statement said.

Drivers traveling 67 mph or more will be cited, according to the statement. The penalty is a $40 civil citation, the statement said.

Fast Facts About US 29 Speed Cameras

• Installation—Monday, Dec. 1
• Citations Begin—Monday, Dec. 22
• Speed Limit—55 mph
• Threshold for Citation—67 mph

In place at 11 other locations statewide, the speed camera enforcement program has reduced violations by more than 90 percent, the Maryland State Highway Administration reports.

“Work zones present dangerous conditions and challenges that require extra concentration and slower speeds,” State Highway Administrator Melinda B. Peters said. She noted that 80 percent of those injured or killed in work zone crashes are those in vehicles, not workers. “...it benefits everyone to obey work zone speed limits,” Peters said.

Lane closures on US 29 will be in effect from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, with the possibility of night work between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m., according to the State Highway Administration.

Drivers are encouraged to stay alert, slow down and allow extra distance between themselves and other vehicles.

Photo Credit: Maryland Safe Zones