Operation Orange Cone Blog

Key Highway and Light Street Roundabout Design

Concept design work for the Key Highway and Light Street Roundabout has been completed.  The design will now move from planning to engineering, where some of the project details will be refined to ensure the roundabout meets all safety and roadway standards.

The Key Highway & Light St. intersection is known to be confusing for motorists and difficult for pedestrians to cross.  The benefits of a roundabout at this location are:

• Improved traffic safety:  Federal Highway Administration data shows roundabouts improve safety for vehicles due to slower speeds, fewer vehicle conflict points and elimination of 90 degree and head on collisions.
• Improved pedestrian safety: Slower traffic and increased driver attention through roundabouts improves pedestrian safety. Studies in the Netherlands show that:

Roundabouts built from 1999 to 2005 have been effective for road safety in the Netherlands, resulting in a reduction of about 76% in fatal casualties and about 46% in (police reported) killed or seriously injured casualties

• Improved aesthetics: Roundabouts are more attractive than a sea of ashalt and can include community art, landscaping, fountains, and other beautification features. Key Highway and Light Street is a gateway intersection connecting South Baltimore and the Inner Harbor. It’s important that this intersection be a source of community pride while also being inviting to tourists.

Three public meetings have already been held during the concept design stage. You can find the meeting minutes for these sessions here. Additional public meetings will be held this spring as engineering progresses.

Here are the latest designs for the roundabout (click to enlarge).  Questions and comments can be directed to either Mark R. Brown (mark.brown@baltimorecity.gov), planning project manager, or Manmohan Singh(Manmohan.Singh@baltimorecity.gov), engineering project manager.