Meeting: Residents Question Forge Road Closure, Support Reduced Road Widening

Tensions ran high during a meeting Monday evening at the White Marsh Library. State and county politicians, State Highway Administration representatives and county engineers discussed . 

Residents complained that the meeting, which ran from 6 to 8 p.m., focused more on informing the public of the county's plans than on listening to community feedback. 

One attendee repeatedly asked, "When do I get to vote?" 

Shortly before the meeting's end, Baltimore County Councilman David Marks asked for a raise of hands from all those who supported reducing the planned widening of a portion of Forge Road from 70 feet to 46-50 feet. Support was almost unanimous. 

But much to the chagrin of some attendees, a similar poll was not taken regarding the permanent closure of Forge Road near the Belair Road intersection. . 

The closure's main purpose is encourage drivers to use the newly constructed Honeygo Boulevard extension to Belair Road, officials said. It also serves to reduce traffic near a new Richmond American Homes development called Forge Reserve. 

Some local residents asked why speed bumps could not have been installed to reduce and slow down traffic, in place of a permanent closure. 

Rahee J. Famili, a project engineer with the Department of Public Works, responded, "You either want to keep the road open or close it. If you leave it open, you are inviting people to use it." 

Marks explained that the less-popular road closure was key to helping him gain the massive reduction in planned road widening along Forge Road, between Honeygo Boulevard and Forge View Road, known by county engineers as Phase 1 of planned improvements. 

Reducing the planned expansion of Forge Road by more than 20 feet would not only save the county money, it would help preserve much of the front yards of local residents, Marks said.

Forge Road Closure Background

• In March 2010, Baltimore County placed temporary concrete barriers across Forge Road near the Belair Road intersection. Drivers were then forced to use the new Belair Road intersection to access Honeygo Boulevard, rather than using Forge Road to connect. 
• Rahee J. Famili, a project engineer with the department of public works, said that the closure was planned more than 15 years ago.
• The closure was intended to redirect traffic toward the new intersection, as well as reduce traffic near the new Forge Reserve housing development. 
• A series of meetings followed the closure and a task force of community members was created. 
• The state considered removing the traffic signal at the intersection of Forge Road and Belair Road. But business owners and employees near the intersection, who worked in the Forge Road Professional Center,  and a , said that the traffic signal was needed for the safety of their customers. 

Forge Road Closure Meeting Points

• County and state officials announced that the road would be closed permanently near the Belair Road intersection and that the traffic signal would remain in service. 
• Marks said he would work with businesses and residents to make the road barrier as attractive as possible. 
• Famili said that GPS systems continue to direct drivers to use Forge Road to access Honeygo Boulevard. He said he would work to have this updated.
• A community member asked if a public hearing would be required to permanently close Forge Road. Famili responded that this may be avoided because the closure may simply be physical, rather than legal. The Baltimore City public works department will still need to be able to access the road due to an underground water main, he said.
• Some attendees commented that the road seems to have been closed only to accommodate the new Forge Reserve housing development. "It's not fair that we have to suffer to accommodate them ... these overpriced homes and shopping centers were built to create pools of taxpayers," said Joseph Bertrand, a nearby resident. "We, as people who live in the area who pay taxes—this was dumped on us." 
• Residents of Forge Reserve, Tony and Karen Aquia, said the decision to close the road was all about safety, but they understood the frustration of longtime residents. "You live on a street your entire life and you get used to using the same road," Tony Aquia said. "But you have to change with the times." 

Forge Road Expansion Background

• In the near future, Forge Road will connect with Maryland Route 40. To accommodate the increased traffic, county engineers planned to expand the road to 70 feet wide. Housing developers were also promised road improvements several years ago, Famili said. 
• Marks has proposed that the expansion be reduced to 46-50 feet. In the next two weeks, he will vote on a county budget. He said he intends to ensure that funding is available only to expand the road to 46-50 feet. 

Forge Road Expansion Meeting Points

• Reducing the planned expansion was largely popular among meeting attendees. 
• Marks said it would save money and preserve much of residents' front yards. 
• But Ralph P. Wheeler, a county engineer, said that the wider expansion would be much safer for residents and would allow them to have more space to enter traffic from their driveways. 
• Dennis M. Robinson Jr., president of the Perry Hall Improvement Association, said his organization has not taken a formal position on the expansion. "I'm here tonight to hear more of the community's concerns. I want to let everyone know that I am paying attention," Robinson said. 
• Dan Bender, a homeowner on the 4400 block of Forge Road, said that a full 70-foot expansion would bring the road dangerously close to the front porch of his farmhouse. "I'm fine with the road the way it is, but I'd be fine with added sidewalks." Bender said. "Smaller is better, even with increases in traffic."