TANEYTOWN, Md. — Even on a gloomy day, Taneytown is easy to appreciate.
Its founding predates America, and its redbrick storefronts display the town's history on its sleeve.
But the march of time is hard to stop. The town's center is now the intersection of two state highways: Route 194 and Route 140, used by Carroll County commuters and larger trucks.
Mayor Christopher Miller, who also owns a business in the town of 7,000, says a new left-turn signal completed last week is already paying dividends cutting down on traffic. It's a solution Miller says people have wanted for several decades.
"This is home to a lot of people on our main strip," Miller said in an interview near the intersection, "and the traffic affects them, the walkability affects them, and again we're doing what we can to make those both safer and more accessible.
Miller said during rush hour, as drivers would wait to make a left onto Route 194, traffic would back up down the historic main street up to a mile, sometimes blocking the local fire department.
What might seem like an easy fix involved about three years of surveying, planning and design, Miller added.
The City of Taneytown requested an analysis of the intersection of MD 140 (W. Baltimore Street) and MD 194 (Frederick Street) because of traffic congestion, particularly during the evening rush hour.
SHA traffic engineers reviewed traffic volumes, signal operations and timing, and conditions in the field. The analysis found that westbound vehicles turning left onto MD 194 were sometimes backing up beyond the turn lane and blocking the through lane on MD 140.
Based on the study, the recommendation was to provide a dedicated left turn signal phase for westbound MD 140. The change allows left-turning vehicles to move through the intersection without having to wait for gaps in opposing traffic, which helps reduce congestion and improve traffic flow.
The study was primarily focused on improving traffic operations and reducing delays, rather than addressing a specific crash problem. This section is not considered a vulnerable road.
Paul Kluth owns a nearby building with an antiques shop and says it's a change many local business owners were waiting for.
"This is one of the steps in the right direction. It's greatly appreciated," Kluth said.
Miller, meantime, is looking at how else to make the city more safe and walkable.
"People aren't expecting us to do big major things. It's just making the quality of life here in town better, and every time we do that, you know, we do see a positive reaction to that," Miller said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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