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State plans Route 40 safety corridor; Hagerstown council warns of downtown parking impacts
Summary
Maryland State Highway's Route 40 corridor study includes a downtown bike lane concept that would remove parking on one side of Franklin and Washington streets; council members urged targeted local outreach, a parking-demand study and a draft letter requesting more inclusion in planning.
HAGERSTOWN — The Maryland Department of Transportation's State Highway Administration is conceptually studying safety improvements along Route 40 through Hagerstown, and one early option shown to the council would create a dedicated bicycle lane by removing on-street parking on one side of Franklin Street and one side of Washington Street through downtown.
Jim Bender, who briefed the council, said the state's effort is at roughly 5% conceptual design and that the state will now commission a downtown parking-demand study before a public meeting currently expected in summer. "They are proposing through Downtown Hagerstown to remove parking on one side of Franklin Street and one side of Washington Street, so that they can save a dedicated bicycle lane," Bender said.
Council and business representatives warned that downtown on-street parking is heavily used for daytime business customers and evening residents who lack off-street parking. Members urged the state to conduct targeted outreach to people and businesses most affected rather than relying solely on an online notice: "If we advertise and said, hey, everybody... we're gonna have a public meeting... we're gonna have a room full of people," one council member said, stressing the need to physically reach adjacent residents and merchants.
The council asked staff to provide parking-deck and lot-occupancy data to the state's consultant and directed staff to draft a letter requesting more robust local engagement and the inclusion of seasonal peak data in the state's analysis. Council members said they may ask to review the letter before it is sent.
The state has postponed its public meeting until it finishes the parking study; council members said they want to be included earlier in the process to avoid last-minute decisions with outsized impacts on downtown access and businesses.
