Last year, the Village's Board of Managers approved a final plan to improve pedestrian and vehicle traffic flows along the roadways that surround the Village Hall, including entry into the Village from Connecticut Avenue at West Kirke Street, the intersection of West Kirke Street at Laurel Parkway, and the section of Laurel Parkway that runs along the rear of the Village Hall (adjacent to the Public Works yard).

At its March 14, 2015 regular meeting, the Board formally approved the construction contract to implement the improvements plan.

Construction is slated to begin on or around April 18 with an anticipated completion date of June 3, weather permitting. All work will be conducted Monday through Friday only during the hours of 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Residents should expect noise levels to be higher than is normal at times and temporary traffic delays during these work hours. Should additional traffic delays or road closures be necessary, Village staff will circulate advanced notice via the Village website and by blast email.

Project Improvements

The project will include the following improvements, which are also depicted on the approved project plan below:

• Extending the north curb radius and green space along West Kirke Street between Connecticut Avenue and the Police parking lot. This will narrow the travel lane on West Kirke Street and slow the speed of traffic turning off Connecticut Avenue to go west on West Kirke Street by removing the sweeping curb radius. In addition, the curb radius at the southeast corner of the West Kirke Street/Laurel Parkway combined rights-of-way will be pulled back to increase sight lines and better align traffic turning onto West Kirke Street from Laurel Parkway.
• Installation of a traffic island/pedestrian refuge on West Kirke Street at its intersection with Connecticut Avenue. The island will serve two (2) purposes: 1) create separation between opposing traffic on West Kirke Street, and 2) provide a refuge for pedestrians crossing West Kirke Street along Connecticut Avenue by reducing the wide crossing distance.
• Extension of the curb radius on the south side of West Kirke Street at Connecticut Avenue. This will further narrow the width of West Kirke Street at Connecticut Avenue.
• Reconfigure/realign the sidewalks within the West Kirke Street/Laurel Parkway combined right-of-way (the triangle greenspace located across from the Village Hall), which were installed with test brick sections during the evaluation phase of the sidewalk replacement project. The realigned sidewalk will be installed using the Village's approved brick paver for consistency with the Village's sidewalk network. Additionally, two new ADA-complaint handicap ramps will be installed to facilitate access by all pedestrians.
• Extension of the curb at the southeast corner of Laurel Park into Laurel Parkway where it intersects with the eastern span of West Lenox Street. The extension will modify the existing two-way traffic flow behind the Public Works yard to one-way (toward the Post Office only). Currently two-way traffic is allowed on Laurel Parkway behind the Public Works yard. This section of roadway is narrow and two-way traffic is unsafe.
• Installation of a sliding gate at the roadway entrance to the Public Works yard and "Municipal Vehicle Parking Only" designation during work hours, behind the Public Works Yard. The slide gate will improve driver sight lines by eliminating the swinging gate doors, which currently swing out toward the roadway. Signage will also be installed formally designating the parking spaces along the Laurel Parkway curb behind the Public Works yard as "Municipal Vehicle Parking Only" during work hours (Monday to Friday between 7:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.).

In an effort to provide timely and accurate information regarding the progress of this project, a dedicated page has been created on the Village's website for project updates, including a more detailed construction schedule and a rendering of the approved plan. This distribution list will be generated using the emails contained with the 2015 Resident Directory. If your email address has changed or if you would like us to use a different email address for this project, please email/call the Village office.

If you have any questions regarding the project, please do not hesitate to contact Michael Younes, in the Village office at 301-654-7300 or via email.

We thank you in advance for your patience during this project to improve pedestrian and vehicle safety around the Village Hall.