Cumberland Times-News

Local News

September 1, 2010

College road, 9/11 ride topics of concern for traffic committee

Kevin Spradlin Cumberland Times-News

Cumberland — CUMBERLAND — The new entrance to Allegany College of Maryland and the traffic congestion from America’s 9/11 motorcycle were among a hodgepodge of events and concerns discussed at a Wednesday meeting of the Allegany County Traffic and Transportation Advisory Committee.

John DiFonzo, engineer with the city of Cumberland, said the college wanted to maintain its Willowbrook Road mailing address despite its new entrance will face the new road from Willowbrook Road and Old Willowbrook Road.

That new road, to be named after the late George Wyckoff, who served as mayor of Cumberland in the 1980s, will connect the college to Old Willowbrook Road. The existing entrance will be closed off, DiFonzo said, because it is too close to the newly constructed hospital.

The issue was an intently discussed one among State Highway Administration officials and DiFonzo.

“It’s one of those situations where everybody’s trying to appease everybody,” DiFonzo said. “Our feeling is, everybody kind of knows where the college is.”

DiFonzo said the area is entirely within city limits. “The city’s saying we’re not going to require a change,” DiFonzo said. “In my mind, it doesn’t” create a problem.

There was some back-and-forth talk about not putting up a road sign designating George Wyckoff Street. However, Dick DeVore, acting chief of the Allegany County Joint Communications Center, said even though “first responders are well aware of where the college is ... I’d steer away from not posting a street sign.”

• The State Highway Administration received at least one complaint from a man stuck in traffic on Interstate 68 while some 900 motorcycle riders wound their way on Aug. 20 through downtown Cumberland and, via I-68, to Allegany College of Maryland and later to Hagerstown.

George Small, assistant district engineer of traffic for SHA, seemed to agree. Small spoke of the “tremendous mess” the riders created on Willowbrook Road. He had to only guess at the number of missed doctor’s appointments due to the traffic delay as motorcyclists turned into Allegany College and blocked access to the Western Maryland Regional Medical Center entrance. Small estimated traffic was backed up for approximately 20 minutes.

Lt. Todd May, commander of the Maryland State Police barrack in LaVale, said he had “not very” much notice on the event. Small said he’d learned of it the day before in the newspaper.

Small suggested a cooperative planning effort well in advance of next year’s ride — recognizing the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington, D.C. and Shanksville, Pa.

• The committee is a mixed group of local, county and state transportation, engineering and public works employees and public safety representatives that meet monthly to consider projects and events that impact traffic flow. For much of 2009, the Times-News questioned whether the committee was subject to the state’s Open Meetings Act. Committee members were sent agendas but no media outlet was notified of any meeting dates, places or times.

Multiple committee members argued the group’s actions weren’t for the public. In November of last year, however, County Administrator David Eberly said county staff were instructed to notify media outlets of future meeting dates.

The committee, Eberly told the newspaper, was formed in September 1980. After consulting with county attorneys Bill Rudd and Barry Levine, Eberly said “it is clear to us that the committee is a public body and its activities are subject to the Open Meetings Act.”

Kevin Spradlin can be reached at kspradlin@times-news.com.

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