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Politics & Government

Council Continues Lowenbach Discussion

After receiving updates regarding the current project council members provided input on what the next steps might be.

The Town Council met for a work session Monday night where they continued their discussion on the Lowenbach Improvements project.

Project Manager Anne Geiger gave council members an update on traffic counts including a recent study performed by the Standing Residential Traffic Committee (SRTC) on Nov. 7.

Recommendations included that a four way stop be installed at Catoctin Circle and Blue Ridge, including driver feedback signs. The SRTC also recommended removing the barricade from Catoctin Circle.

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Councilwoman Katie Hammler said was in favor of the four-way stops and feedback signs, which would only take about three weeks to put in place. What concerned her, Hammler said, is that a promise was made by the Town Council not to remove the barricades until all improvements were done.

Hammler said the Council needed to be “proactive and aggressive” about traffic on Catoctin and other neighboring streets. Improvements should be made first before any barricade removal is considered, she said.

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“Council promised not to remove the barricades until the project was done,” Hammler said. “I think we need to acknowledge this.”

If the barricade is removed, Geiger said there would obviously be an increase to traffic. Public safety is already a concern due to vehicle traffic and speeds. Council members considered the possibility of traffic lights or whether the current stop signs on Catoctin Circle and Edwards Ferry Road are good enough.

Earlier in the discussion, Councilman Tom Dunn asked if it would be possible to keep roads open during the construction process, since traffic seemed to be a current issue.

Acting Director of Capital Projects Renee LaFollette said that the pavement on the North and South streets is 16 to 18 feet wide. That would leave up to five feet of asphalt for traffic to get through.  Not only would it increase costs, LaFollette said, but it would also slow things down.

Councilman Kenneth Reid offered a different suggestion that would keep Prince and Woodberry streets closed. There would be less time lost on directing traffic, he said, while possibly accelerating the construction. 

However, closing both streets at the same time could possibly save up to three months of construction, LaFollette said. The costs savings would be very minimal.

Reid also suggested that the barricades on Queen and Washington streets be open temporarily during Woodbery and Prince street construction. It could serve as a pilot to see how much traffic the area receives, he said.

“If we see that there is a problem how hard is it to put the barricades back? Not hard at all,” Reid said. “I think the resident in the area would appreciate it.”

Reid asked his colleagues to consider the options that he brought to the table Monday night. Mayor Kristen Umstattd said she’d like to hear what some of the local residents have to say, regarding the Lowenbach project. A public hearing will be held regarding the updates on Tuesday, Nov. 15 at 7:30 p.m.

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