The new Layhill Bridge is a vast improvement over the previous road's blind curve

The Layhill Bridge features four travel lanes, a median island,
bike lanes, and raised sidewalks on both sides

Have you seen the new bridge on Layhill Road (MD-182) over the Intercounty Connector (ICC) highway near Park Vista Road? 

If not, let me just say that it is a fantastic design and a major improvement compared with the conditions that existed before.  

Prior to construction of the ICC highway and the new Layhill Bridge, conditions on MD-182 in this area were downright treacherous. 

The road was a scary downhill stretch towards Park Vista Road with a blind curve (including a sheer cliff-side wall) on the northside and a farmland ditch on the southside. 

There were no shoulders whatsoever, therefore, no room for driver error, especially during inclement weather. 

And there were no sidewalks or bike paths.  Anyone who dared walk, jog, or bike on this curvy blind stretch had to walk on the south-side next to the farmland ditch since the north-side was virtually impassable with its sheer cliff-side wall, lack of shoulders, and horrid sightlines.  As a result, pedestrians and bicyclists had to contend with speeding cars downhill that could lose control and crash. And they had to contend with drivers hindered by poor sightlines as they headed uphill next to the cliff-side wall around the blind curve. 

Compounding the situation were free-roaming dogs who lived at an idyllic farm on the south-side of this blind curve on Layhill Road, directly across from the cliff wall.  The free-roaming dogs were very terrirtorial and would chase anyone walking, jogging, or biking past the farmhouse on Layhill Road.  

I know these dogs all too well because they chased me each time I tried to walk or jog through the area.  To escape the dogs, I had to switch to the north-side of the road, walking alongside the sheer cliff wall.  Consequently, drivers heading uphill could not see me in their lane due to the blind curves of the cliff wall. 

Needless to say, I rarely walked or biked through this blind curve on Layhill Road and avoided the area altogether for years.  Fortunately, that is no longer the case thanks to the ICC Project Team's major upgrade of Layhill Road near Park Vista over the last 12 months.

The ICC Project Team saw fit to seize the farmhouse property and evict the territorial dogs, demolish the sheer cliff-side wall, level the earth, flatten the terrain, and straighten the road to accommodate the new Layhill Bridge.  Then they built ample shoulders with plenty of room for biking, plus raised sidewalks with hefty curbs to protect pedestrians from passing vehicular traffic on both sides of the bridge.

There is good news for drivers too!  The bridge features not two, not three, but four travel lanes!  There are two northbound lanes and two southbound lanes, separated by a raised median with hefty curbs to ensure that vehicles stay in their lanes.  This is a very wise design feature as it prevents vehicles from drifting into oncoming traffic, which almost always proves fatal. 

The result is a very safe bridge, accessible to everyone regardless of their transportation mode.  Pedestrians and bicyclists can now travel safely on sidewalks and bike lanes from Park Vista Road up Layhill Rd. to Longmeade Crossing and to the bus stops and shopping centers on Bel Pre Road. 

Kudos to the ICC Project Team for doing a fantastic job on what was once a scary and treacherous road near Park Vista Road.  

I have no "before" pictures of Layhill Road with its blind curve near Park Vista, but if you do, please e-mail them to me and I will post them here! 

More pictures of the new Layhill Bridge and straightened road available after the jump.

Approaching Layhill Bridge in the downhill direction of Park Vista Road



Great sidewalks with ample bike lanes/shoulders on both sides



Sidewalks are raised with hefty curbs to protect pedestrians from passing cars



Bike lanes/shoulders are provided on both sides of the bridge, thank goodness

Raised median island safely separates northbound and southbound traffic



An uphill view of Layhill towards Longmeade Crossing

Previously, this area had a dangerous blind curve with sheer cliff-side wall and no shoulders or sidewalks.
Thankfully, the ICC saw fit to level the earth, flatten the terrain, straighten the road, and provide sidewalks and shoulders

This is Park Vista Road where the ICC bike trail begins/ends.  Unfortunately, ICC elected not to continue the bike trail across Layhill Road alongside the ICC highway towards Bonifant Road and New Hampshire.  Instead, there is a detour uphill on this sidewalk along Layhill Road to Bel Pre Road to Middlevale Rd where the Matthew Henson Trail is located.