Owings Mills Boulevard Extension Opens Monday

The first of two Owings Mills Boulevard extensions will open Monday morning, connecting the roadway from Lyons Mill Road to Winands Road.

The public is invited to join Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz and Councilman Ken Oliver in a ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday, Aug. 6, at 11 a.m. at the intersection of Owings Mills Boulevard and Lyonswood Road.

Construction of the extension, which spans .96 miles, started in March 2010 and cost about $14 million, according to Baltimore County Public Works spokesman David Fidler.

“The idea is to connect the Owings Mills business area with the Liberty Road area,” he said. “This is a needed corridor because of the traffic projections for the future.”

The extension will be a four-lane divided highway. It includes a 50-foot bridge over the Horsehead Branch of the Gwynns Falls, Fidler said.

There will also be a new traffic light at Winands Road and Owings Mills Boulevard that will begin flashing Thursday and will be operational when the road opens on Monday, Fidler said.

Baltimore County Public Schools are also considering putting another bus stop in the community the new roadway passes through so children won’t have to cross Owings Mills Boulevard, Fidler said.

Phase two, which is set to begin in 2013 and take about two years, will extend the roadway to Liberty Road. The construction, for which the timetable could change, will cost $15 million and include a 240-foot bridge over the Scotts Level Branch of the Gwynns Falls, Fidler said.