COLUMBIA, Md. — A dangerous exit ramp is on the state’s radar after a deadly crash earlier this year, but for drivers, the issues with it were no secret.
“It’s never been a comfortable exit to take. It’s always the one where you say— I’m going to adjust my route and get off a little earlier,” driver Max Majka said.
He used to take Exit 14A on MD Route 32 East, which leads to Broken Land Parkway, at least three to five times a week.
“I’ve heard tires screech in front of me, my own tires have slipped a bit trying to take that turn,” Majka said.
In January, a police chase ended there, with deadly consequences.
When a teenage driver speeding away from an attempted traffic stop by an undercover Howard County officer crashed into the ditch and caught fire.
RELATED: No charges filed against officer involved in crash that killed juvenile in Columbia
In the last three years, Maryland State Highway Administration data shows numerous crashes at the exit, where the posted speed limit drops from 55 to 25 in a short distance.
“It does require people to slow down quite a bit to take that curve,” Radcliffe said. “We looked into the circumstances of that crash, some of the concerns based on the way the grade falls away from the road.”
There’s no defining feature that makes this exit, with its distinctive curve, any more dangerous than others, according to Radcliffe. Though, he hypothesizes it may be busier than others.
NUMBER OF RECORDED CRASHES:
Exit 14A on Rt. 32
2024: 18
2025: 25
2026 so far: 6
Car parts litter the grass by the exit. Earlier this spring, SHA installed a guardrail, but found themselves with a new problem.
“That guardrail has already been hit. We went out and repaired it a couple of weeks ago and within 2 hours it was hit again,” Radcliffe said. “So that's one issue we're dealing with.”
The state is also testing the road’s friction and investigating to see if any more changes are needed.
Majka is hoping for a roadway reconfiguration, making it easier to slow down.
“Anything that gives drivers time to do that would be great,” he said.
But Radcliffe says the most important change, is one drivers can make by pumping the brakes.
“I think that'll make it better for everyone, cause really every single crash we have on the roads is preventable,” Radcliffe said.
