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State Highway engineers offer to study pedestrian safety after child struck near Beach Elementary
Summary
State Highway Administration representatives offered to work with the town, sheriff’s office and county schools on pedestrian‑safety options after a child was struck near Beach Elementary. Officials said the child’s injuries were relatively minor and discussed sidewalk connectivity and traffic‑calming options.
State Highway Administration (SHA) District 5 representatives told the Chesapeake Beach Town Council they will work with town staff, Calvert County schools and the sheriff’s office to evaluate pedestrian‑safety options near Beach Elementary School after a child was struck by a vehicle earlier in April.
Kimberly Tran, SHA District Engineer for District 5, said the incident appears to have been relatively minor and that the child is expected to make a full recovery. “The best part of the news is that it was relatively minor, ultimately, and that the child is gonna, you know, hopefully make a full recovery,” Tran said.
Tran and Kelly Boulware, SHA community relations manager, described prior requests the agency has received for crosswalks and other pedestrian facilities along Maryland Route 261 in the Twin Beaches area. They explained that, for a mid‑block crosswalk or a new marked crossing to be effective and safe, sidewalk connectivity and sight‑distance conditions typically must be addressed first.
Tran said the first step should be convening a working group that includes SHA, the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office, Calvert County Public Schools (transportation), and town staff to identify realistic options — for example, sidewalk segments, school‑zone flashers, controlled crossings, and traffic‑calming measures. She noted Safe Routes to School grants and similar programs could be a funding path for sidewalk work but said the county school system’s walker policy is one of the factors SHA would consider.
The council and SHA discussed a range of traffic‑calming tools that might be suitable for the corridor, including marked crosswalks coupled with engineering changes, pedestrian signals, “HAWK” beacons, or speed‑reducing treatments such as speed tables. Tran cautioned that certain speed‑hump devices are not permitted on many state roads and that some rumble‑strip solutions can cause noise issues for adjacent residents.
The town said it will coordinate with SHA and county agencies to set up the multi‑agency discussion and to collect speed‑count and sight‑distance data. Council members asked SHA to run a formal speed study and to review whether the existing school‑zone flashers and enforcement are producing the intended speed reductions during school hours.
No formal council vote was required or taken. Town officials said they will follow up with SHA to schedule the multi‑agency meeting and gather the technical data needed to recommend short‑term and long‑term countermeasures.
