Driver gets results after complaint about signs

This leads to two questions: 1. Which is the correct designation for Route 108? 2. How could an oversight like this occur? Surely whoever installed the second set of signs should have noticed the discrepancy.

Kevin Moore, Gaithersburg

A: The sign mounted on the traffic signal pole [East on Route 108] is correct. When the traffic signal was installed, the other two signs were to be removed. SHA apologized for any inconvenience. The signs were removed Monday.

Now that was quick. But Kevin didn’t stop there. He also asked:

Q: Can an ‘‘Exit Only” designation be added to the existing sign on westbound Route 118 to warn drivers that the right lane becomes the exit ramp for Interstate 270 North in Germantown?

A: The State Highway Administration evaluated the signs and lane designations where Kevin suggested and determined adding an ‘‘Exit Only” sign would lessen sudden lane changes and improve traffic flow and safety.

The SHA added ground-mounted signs on Monday and will install an ‘‘Exit Only” sign in the fall to the existing overhead sign. On Monday, the crew also painted pavement arrows to indicate the lane was for exiting.

While Kevin is keeping a SHA road crew busy, he’s also probably making things a little less confusing for the rest of us.

Q: I’m driving north on Olney Mill Road approaching the intersection with Route 108. I want to go straight so I have to stay in the right lane as there is a left-turn arrow only in the left lane. Now traffic behind me turning right is blocked even though it is a long light and right turns after stopping would be possible — if I would have been permitted to be in the left lane to wait for the light change.

It seems the more rational approach would be to have a right-turn only sign in the right lane. What do you think? There must be an explanation as the same situation [occurs] at the Queen Elizabeth⁄Route 108 intersection two blocks to the east.

Bob Browning, Olney

A: Well, Bob, the State Highway Administration says it will the lane designations at Olney Mill Road at Route 108 when schools return and study the traffic then for an accurate evaluation. It will report its observations and any possible recommendations after the study, which should be completed mid-fall.

One bridge opens,another closes

County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) and Councilman Don Praisner (D-Dist. 4) of Calverton were at the July 16 opening of the Valley Brook Drive pedestrian bridge, a Silver Spring project pushed by Praisner’s wife, Councilwoman Marilyn J. Praisner who died in February.

The bridge will let residents and Springbrook High School students cross safely to a community park.

But last week he county closed another pedestrian bridge at Newport Road and Glen Cove Parkway in Bethesda until it is repaired, which is expected to take until fall.

As workers prepared the 16-foot-long bridge for painting, they discovered the support beams were corroded beyond repair. The bridge spans a drainage ditch. Reconstruction will occur over the next few months. Pedestrians will have to cross at another pedestrian bridge about 220 feet away at Glen Cove Parkway and Baltimore Avenue.

SHA needs your help

Looking to prove its services on the information superhighway as well as Maryland roads, the State Highway Administration is asking for feedback on its online services.

SHA’s six-question survey is available online at www.marylandroads.com.

Paving begins tonight

The county will begin taking off the old asphalt and paving new on Dixon Street and Bonifant Avenue in Silver Spring beginning tonight at 10 p.m. and ending at 5 a.m.

Temporary stripes will be placed before 5 a.m. The work is expected to take two nights. It’s being done at night to have a minimal affect on traffic.

Another Metro record

Move over, Ronald Reagan’s funeral. A baseball game and Women of Faith Conference on July 11 helped bump Metro ridership to its biggest day ever for the 32-year system.

The new record was 854,638 riders.

That broke the previous mark of 850,636 on June 9, 2004, when attendance at Reagan’s funeral drove up ridership.

With fuel prices at record highs, 20 of the busiest 25 days in the system’s history have occurred since April.

Bumper to Bumper is a biweekly column dedicated to answering your questions about driving, roads, travel and transit. Have a question? E-mail bumper@gazette.net.