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Md. Senate OKs speed limit boost to 70 on state highways

The Maryland Senate has voted to raise the speed limit from 65 to 70 mph on state highways.

The Senate voted 39-7 for the measure on Thursday.

Senate approval marks a milestone for the bill, which passed the House of Delegates last year, but stalled in a Senate committee. A similar bill is pending in the House this year.

Sen. George Edwards, a Garrett County Republican, is the sponsor of the measure. He says other states have a speed limit of 70 mph, and that the increase would not be mandatory statewide.

But opponents say it’s dangerous. Sen. James Brochin, a Baltimore County Democrat, says raising the speed limit will cause some drivers to push it to 80 mph. Brochin says he thinks that’s too fast.

– See more at: http://www.wcbcradio.com/?news=19688#sthash.rYevitxP.dpuf

Public Meeting Scheduled on U.S. Route 219 Expansion Project

A public meeting on the U.S. Route 219 Expansion Project (North/South Appalachian Highway) will be held on Tuesday, September 23rd, from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the Grantsville Elementary School.  The completion of this project is expected to have a positive impact on Garrett County businesses, especially those located in the northern portion of the county. Please attend and express your support for this important economic development project.

For More Information, click here:  http://roadapp.org/ 

Road salt is killing Garrett County

12:30 p.m. EST, December 7, 2013

The Maryland State Highway Administration is destroying Mountain Maryland. During the winter of 2012, the agency applied 48,352 tons of salt on 600 lane-miles of highway in Garrett County. That is more than 80 tons per lane-mile of highway.

During the same winter, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan received 305 inches of snowfall — 50 percent more than Garrett County — yet used only 24 tons of salt per lane-mile. Other locations, such as Minnesota and Maine, used only 10 to12 tons per lane mile during the same season.

I fully understand the need to keep our roadways safe during winter weather, but the third “snowiest” place in the U.S. used less than a third the salt Maryland did while receiving far more snow. Something is wrong with that.

Over the past 10 years, the SHA has contaminated hundreds of wells, deforested countless acres of timber and been directly responsible for the untimely demise of many motorists’ vehicles. It is time it was held accountable for the damage it has caused. It’s also time for SHA administrators to be held to the same environmental standards imposed on Maryland businesses and residents.

Read more: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/readersrespond/bs-ed-garrett-county-sha-20131207,0,4911762.story#ixzz2uYnJF7Zv

>Garrett Co. Roads Dept. Stresses Importance Of Entrance Permits

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Jul. 7, 2011

The Garrett County Roads Department wants to educate potential and existing property owners about the need for an entrance permit. Local residents Bill and Vicki Taylor have their hearts set on building a home on their Paradise Acres property, but a very big obstacle stands in their way: the Roads Department cannot issue them an entrance permit for a driveway onto Boy Scout Road.

“We had no clue we were getting into this mess,” Vicki told the county commissioners on Tuesday.

The couple met with them and other county officials, including Sheriff Rob Corley, in an attempt to resolve the issue.

“They’re trying to establish an entrance onto that property, which at this time does meet the county specifications for an entrance,” said general roads superintendent Jay Moyer, GC Roads Department. “And part of that is based on the speed limit of that road.”

Moyer added that his department’s primary goal is safety, which includes establishing speed limits and the criteria for entrances.

The Taylors requested that the Boy Scout Road speed limit be reduced from 35 mph to 30 mph to meet that criteria. But that may not help, as stopping speed sight distance is another big factor on the hilly road.

“Even with lowering the speed limit, we all feel uncomfortable with the fact that you can adjust the speed limit, but that will not, in a sense, make it any safer,” Moyer said. “People will drive what they feel comfortable driving.”

He suggested the Taylors hire a traffic engineer to do a traffic study to determine if indeed the limit is too high and should be lowered. He noted it would be expensive to do so – about $5,000. A second option would be for the county to secure funding and contract a traffic engineer to conduct the study.

Referring to a State Highway Administration pamphlet about the issue, Moyer reviewed how and why speed limits are set. The paper notes that basic limits are set by Maryland vehicle law; however, in many instances, these limits do not account for actual highway and traffic conditions that are important in the safe and efficient movement of traffic. Thus, the law provides that these limits can be raised or lowered based on the results of traffic engineering studies.

County engineer Dwight Emory explained that during a study a traffic engineer will take readings of vehicle speeds with a radar gun, use counters to record traffic volume, and record peak rush hour times. A study is conducted during a 12-hour period on a weekend and a 12-hour period on a weekday.

It also includes a review of the road’s environment, features, crash history, unusual conditions not readily apparent to drivers, and an analysis of the vehicle speeds to determine average and 85th percentile speeds. The percentile is the speed at or below which 85 percent of the motorists drive on given road when unaffected by slower traffic or poor weather.

Traffic engineers then make speed recommendations based upon their study results and the 85th percentile.

“Of course you could always end up with the opposite of what you’re looking for – even a recommendation to raise the speed limit,” Moyer said.

Emory noted that traveling too slowly can also be a safety issue at times.

Commissioner Bob Gatto, who recently toured the Taylors’ property, asked the couple if they knew of others who wanted the speed limit lowered or had visibility problems on Boy Scout Road.

Vicki noted that at least one neighbor indicated he was happy that the issues were being discussed with county officials.

“In addition to this study that has been suggested, we’ve paid over $8,000 closing costs on a construction loan that it’s going to be too late to use if we have to do that study,” Vicki said.

She added that when she and her husband signed off on the minor subdivision property they thought they were “good to go.” The Taylors are experienced real estate agents and thought they had looked at every possible issue, including water percolation testing and building permits, Vicki explained.

Without an entrance permit, Bill said, their $80,000 property is worthless. In lieu of a permit, the couple’s only other option is to contact their nearest neighbor and try to buy into using his driveway, Vicki said. But that entrance, she noted, is closer to the top of the hill and is even more dangerous than hers would be.

Moyer said that and other existing driveways on the road were probably established before current rules and regulations were enacted.

More here.

If you or someone you know is considering buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Railey Realty for all of your real estate needs! I take great pride in referrals, and I assure you, I will take great care of your friends, family & colleagues! As member of the Garrett County Board of Realtors, I can assist you with ANY listed property, regardless of the listing broker.

877-563-5350 Questions about ANY listed property? I can help! Call me!
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With upcoming snow, Garrett hoping for federal money

Megan Miller
Cumberland Times-News

OAKLAND — The snowstorm that began in Western Maryland on Tuesday afternoon could last through early Friday and pelt the region with as much as 15 to 20 inches of snow in the higher elevations.

That’s according to Pittsburgh National Weather Service meteorologist Rich Kane, who briefed the Garrett County Commission and other officials via telephone and video feed Tuesday morning.

“I think for Garrett County it’s going to be pretty wintry even through early Friday,” said Kane, who predicted accumulations of 14 to 20 inches by the end of the storm.

Kane said Garrett could also see high winds around 20 mph Wednesday and 30 mph Thursday, which could cause problems with drifting snow.

That’s bad news for roads maintenance crews and emergency services personnel, who put in long hours and spent large chunks of their budgets dealing with the weekend storm that dropped up to 40 inches on the county.

The weekend storm cost the county about $50,000 per day in overtime, equipment and materials costs, according to Roads General Superintendent Jay Moyer.

“As of Jan. 30, we had about $21,500 left in the budget to cover overtime,” Moyer said. “That’s gone now.”

Under the county’s snow emergency plan, several fire stations are put on standby to provide shelter if needed, and winter rescue teams from several agencies are alerted to be ready to assist residents. Anyone in need of shelter can call (301) 334-1930 to request help. Public safety officials also ask that residents make sure to keep their furnace vents uncovered for safety, keep an eye on snow loads on their rooftops and check on their neighbors.

Both the county and Maryland declared a state of emergency in the weekend storm, and some Garrett officials believe more snow could mean the county will receive a federal emergency declaration.

A federal declaration would channel federal dollars into the county that could be used to reimburse county services for extra costs incurred dealing with the storm. Overtime and equipment costs for snow removal efforts, public utilities work and emergency services like police, fire and emergency medical services could all be reimbursed for amounts spent over their normal operating costs, explained Garrett County Emergency Management Director Brad Frantz.

But there are a lot of variables involved in receiving federal emergency aid. For example, new regulations put in place in recent years state that snow storm accumulations must be within 10 percent of a county’s record snowfall for the county to qualify, Frantz said. For Garrett, that means a snowstorm needs to drop about 45 inches in one event.

The forecast for Tuesday’s storm called for far less than that, but it could still push the county over the threshold if both the Tuesday and weekend storm are counted as one event, Frantz explained.

“We don’t yet know for sure if that will happen,” Frantz said. “But there’s a chance they may call this one event, since they’ve extended the state of emergency from the weekend through the beginning of the week.”

Allegany County, too, might come near its qualifying threshold if the storms are considered one event, said Dick DeVore, acting chief of the Allegany County Joint Communications Center. But he emphasized that there’s no way for the county to be certain about that.

“We believe that potentially we’re going to be close to that threshold,” DeVore said. “But ultimately, it depends on what data the National Weather Service uses to calculate snowfall in the county. And there are a lot of other moving parts.”

If either county receives a federal emergency declaration, the other would be eligible for aid as an adjoining county, Frantz said.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the National Weather Service had issued a winter storm warning in effect through late Wednesday afternoon for Allegany County. The forecast predicted accumulations of 6 to 12 inches in eastern and central Allegany County, and a possibility of up to 20 inches in the western areas.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Long & Foster Real Estate for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350

County road crews pull the plug after rainfall

Basins, culverts cleared to remedy water-covered roads

From Staff Reports
Cumberland Times-News

OAKLAND — Water-covered roadways were reported in Garrett County at mid-afternoon Monday, prompting county road crews into action to unclog water basins and culverts.

“It’s kind of winding down now,” said Jay Moyer, superintendent of the Garrett County roads department. We had steady rain all through the night but we are expecting colder temperatures that will slow the melting.”

Foster, Blue Ribbon and Silver Knob roads were closed temporarily due to high water. Routes that remained passable but with water on the roadway included Boiling Springs, Garrett, Jasper Riley and Crellin Mine roads as of 3 p.m. A minor mudslide on White Rock Road was “cleared up” by county workers at that hour.

The Garrett County 911 center was not able to provide any information about the water-related emergencies.

In Grant County, W.Va., a flood warning remained in effect Monday evening. The South Branch of the Potomac River was expected to crest at Petersburg at 14 feet, one foot above flood stage, at 1 p.m., according to the Grant County 911 center. The emergency center said “no problems” had occurred from the rising waterways in the county as of mid-afternoon.

Schools were dismissed early in Hampshire County, W.Va., due to the potential for small streams to flood some secondary roads, according to a dispatcher at the 911 center. Flooding of the Potomac River in that county was not expected until Tuesday morning, he said.

Maryland Natural Resour-ces Police is advising the public to refrain from boating and other recreational uses of the Upper Potomac River, including creeks and streams due to hazardous water levels from Cumberland to Little Falls.

The advisory extends through Wednesday and will be updated at that time if necessary.

Flood warnings were posted by the National Weather Service at 6:30 p.m. Monday for the South Branch near Springfield, W.Va., and the Potomac at Paw Paw, W.Va.

If you are thinking of buying or selling real estate in Garrett County or Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, call Jay Ferguson of Long & Foster Real Estate for all of your real estate needs! 877-563-5350