The Frederick Beltway

According to the Gazette there have been plans for a beltway around the City of Frederick for over forty years.

City of Frederick road plans have shown a beltway around the city since 1959. Portions of the road have been completed, but coordination has been faulty, according to two aldermen, and the ‘‘ring around the city” is getting more difficult to complete as the years pass.

The road is designed to take drivers around the city from Monocacy Boulevard to Old Camp Road. Both points access Interstate 70. So far, the road has been constructed piecemeal by developers, Frederick County and Frederick city – all applying different building standards for road widths. Portions of it run directly through housing developments, while one section is barely wide enough to accommodate one car.

‘‘The [beltway] concept is good, but it is built at different widths with no uniform plans,” Alderman Paul Smith (R) said. ‘‘It is a failure to plan ahead and to coordinate between the city and county. Now it will cost the taxpayers more money.”

The purpose of a beltway is to route traffic away from a city’s core.

‘‘Historically, beltways have minimal accesses, higher speeds and heavier loads. Generally they are safer,” said city traffic engineer Annis Tannir.

Tannir believes in the beltway idea, but said it has taken too long to build. The city has grown up to and beyond the proposed road. Though some sections need to be upgraded, Tannir and elected officials view the completed road as a viable solution to the city’s current traffic issues.

I would love for the beltway to be done. I hit Frederick via 15 North around 4:45pm every work day and sometimes it takes me another half an hour just to get from FSK Mall to my exit on Route 26.