State plans to improve traffic signal on Route 140 in Finksburg

The State Highway Administration is moving forward with plans to improve traffic signal operations at the intersection of Routes 140 and 91 in Finksburg, which officials say could reduce the number of crashes there by 40%.

The state will install new traffic signals that will allow left turns from westbound Route 140 (Baltimore Boulevard) onto southbound Route 91 (Emory Road) under a solid green arrow, known as “exclusive left-turn phasing,” according to a news release.

Carroll County officials have identified improvements to the intersection as a transportation priority. Traffic analysis shows that switching to exclusive left-turn phasing may reduce the number of crashes at the location by more than 40%. The SHA will monitor traffic impacts and adjust signal timing as needed.

The SHA is working on the design of signal improvements as well as a schedule for installation.

A proposal to eliminate left-turn access on Michele Brauning Drive past the intersection has been paused, according to the release, and proposed new bicycle lanes on Route 140 are also on hold.

Andrew Radcliffe, district engineer for District 7 at SHA, said the administration paused the original intersection improvement project after community members raised concerns at a public meeting about how it would affect traffic.

“What we’re going to do is reconstruct the signal head, so that we only allow left turns on a green arrow, so we’ll remove that judgment factor and make sure that when you’re turning left, there’s absolutely no conflict coming the other direction,” he said.

Radcliffe said he hopes the road improvements will make a safer commute for drivers.

“We’ve seen a crash pattern there with left turns from MD 140 westbound conflicting with straight through movements on MD 140 eastbound,” he said. “By taking that judgment factor out of it and showing red for eastbound and giving a solid green arrow for the westbound left turns, we expect to take that crash pattern out of play, which will make for a safer traffic flow for the intersection.”

For more information about the intersection improvement project, visit the project portal at https://mdot-sha-md140-at-md91-cl1825187-maryland.hub.arcgis.com/ .