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Council asks administration to draft qualified support for SHA’s Alternative 2 on Ontario/Ohio–Route 40 intersection
Summary
After a lengthy presentation and public comment, Havre de Grace council asked administration to prepare a draft letter that expresses conditional support for SHA Alternative 2 while requesting additional study for pedestrian/bicycle safety, truck movements and tolling impacts; no construction or funding authorization was made.
Havre de Grace — City planners, council members and residents debated a State Highway Administration (SHA) intersection study for the Ontario/Ohio and Route 40 junction on Nov. 4, and the council directed city administration to draft a qualified letter endorsing ‘‘Alternative 2’’ for further design while requesting a set of specific refinements.
Director of Planning Tim Borsier summarized a 2020 Wallace Montgomery study that evaluated four alternatives and recommended Alternative 2 as the best value for capacity and cost. Borsier acknowledged the study is nearly five years old and lacks comprehensive pedestrian and bicycle analysis and more recent development impacts.
Resident Chip Place and others warned that the study did not adequately address toll-related diversion, pedestrian and bicycle access, or license-plate tracking for origin-destination data. Council President Ringstalker said he believes tolling at the Hayden/Hatem Bridge is a root cause of cut-through traffic and urged legislative remedies; Borsier and SHA staff noted tolls are handled by a different state entity and that SHA’s modeling found tolls were not necessarily the primary driver.
Rather than take a construction or funding vote, the council asked administration to draft a letter to SHA conveying the council’s interest in Alternative 2 but enumerating council and public concerns to be addressed in the next design phase (10% design). Those concerns include pedestrian and bicycle accommodations, mitigation strategies for truck impacts to medians and curbs, an explicit public-comment process, and updated traffic-origin analysis. Administration agreed to prepare a draft for the next council meeting so members may approve or revise the letter.
What this means: The request opens the door for the state to pursue funding and design steps for Alternative 2 while preserving the council’s ability to require additional study and community input before the city signs off on specific design or right-of-way actions.
Notable quotes - Council President Ringstalker: "The root of the problem is the tolls." (council transcript) - Director Tim Borsier: SHA’s modeling found Alternative 2 provides the best capacity results for the cost but acknowledged access and safety constraints must be addressed.
Next steps: Administration will draft the letter detailing council concerns and proposed design-phase items; the draft will be returned to council for formal review and possible vote at the next regular meeting.
