Details of Leeds Beltway Ramp Replacement Released

The State Highway Administration has released specific plans and a timetable for replacing the Leeds Avenue inner loop Beltway ramp, a change intended to improve public safety and the flow of traffic from the MARC Halethorpe Station.

A public meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 23, from 6-8 p.m. in the Arbutus Middle School cafeteria for officials to present the plan, which includes the replacement of the inner loop bridge over Benson Avenue, the Amtrak/MARC rail line, Southwestern Boulevard and Leeds Avenue.

The inner loop ramp to the Beltway, located on the 4900 block of Leeds Avenue, has been a problem since it was constructed decades ago. In the afternoons, commuters from the MARC station snake along Linden Avenue through Arbutus, often slowing the response of Arbutus Volunteer Fire Department, according to SHA officials.

In an announcement distributed to residents last week, SHA outlined the background and impact of the project.

Once the Leeds Avenue ramp is removed, a new ramp will connect Southwestern Boulevard, directly with the inner loop, providing access to the Beltway for northbound commuters without traveling through Arbutus, according to SHA officials.

The flow of traffic will be facilitated with a new traffic signal to be installed at Linden and Southwestern Boulevard, state officials said.

SHA will also replace a bridge that extends over Benson Avenue, the Amtrak/MARC rail line, Southwestern Boulevard and Leeds Avenue. According to officials, this bridge was originally constructed in 1957 and expanded in 1970, and has neared the end of its useful service life.

The projects are still in their design phase, according to state officials. The Leeds Avenue ramp portion is expected to begin in the summer of 2014 and open to traffic by fall of 2015. Work on the bridge is scheduled to begin in spring of 2014 and open to traffic by fall of 2015.