O'Malley Doles Out $1 Million to Fix 'Notorious' Owings Mills Intersection

More than $1 million will go toward fixing one of the worst traffic bottlenecks in Baltimore County -- the intersection of Reisterstown and Painters Mill Road in Owings Mills, Gov. Martin O'Malley says.

O'Malley said the $1.1 million to design and engineer improvements at the county's No. 1 highway priority should give thousands of commuters some relief.

“The intersection of Reisterstown Road at Painters Mill Road exemplifies the challenges we face with aging infrastructure that can no longer handle traffic demands,” said O’Malley in a statement Tuesday.

“These funds will get us moving in the right direction to ease congestion and improve safety at a notorious bottleneck.”

More than 38,000 vehicles travel the area each day and volume is expected to reach 68,000 vehicles over the next 25 years, the governor's office said. 

"This is excellent news as this was our top priority for transportation funding," said Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz.

The work is part of a $15 million to $20 million project between Garrison View Road and Owings Mills Boulevard. The design includes widening the intersection to include additional MD 140 lanes, and turn lanes with Painters Mill Road.

The intersection near the former Solo Cup plant has been a point of contention for residents and others in regard to the massive Foundry Row project planned for the area -- one of three large commercial developments either proposed or under way in Owings Mills.

For more on development in Owings Mills, read Patch's previous coverage.