Officials are pushing signs like this one on New Hampshire Avenue to divert some of the Route 1 congestion during the school year.
Modified road signs instructing drivers to use alternate routes to access the university will be completed by the first week of September, just in time for the traffic-heavy fall sports season.
The State Highway Administration approved the College Park City Council’s request to modify existing green-and-white signs, many currently reading “U of M,” to divert drivers from either New Hampshire Avenue to Adelphi Road or Kenilworth Avenue to Paint Branch Parkway when approaching the university, in an attempt to alleviate traffic on Route 1.
“Its all about giving motorists options. Rather than sitting in congested traffic on Route 1, they can take an alternate route,” SHA spokesman Chuck Gischlar said. “It would behoove them to use those routes, especially during Terp games.”
Aside from sporting events, the city hopes these signs will minimize traffic build-up when visitors and commuting students travel to the university.
“The intention was to try to move as much traffic as we can off Route 1,” City Manager Joe Nagro said. “We want to disseminate some of the traffic onto other arteries that will get you to the same place.”
City Director of Public Works Bob Stumpff said the signs could prove to be effective, but will not have the profound impact many people expect.
“I think they will help, but just because the signs are up, doesn’t mean traffic will drop significantly,” he said.
University officials said they support the city’s efforts and hope the signs will not only reduce congestion during sporting events, but increase the overall accessibility of the university.
“The signage makes it easier for people to get here,” Vice President for Administrative Affairs John Porcari said. “Though it is a large university, Maryland can be easy to miss.”
District 4 Councilwoman Joseline Peña-Melnyk, a major proponent of the project, said the signs could be effective, but need to be reinforced in the directions offered by the university.
“I hope the university changes their website to provide people with the other exits to get to the university,” Peña-Melnyk said.
Porcari said the university has engaged in “internal discussion” to make a switch in online directions but said no organized effort has been made. The university has, however, made some changes in sporting event mailings and on the Athletics Department website.
Meanwhile, state Sen. John Giannetti (D-Prince George’s and Anne Arundel) said his “Terrapin Trails” project, which will also direct motorists to the university, had to “take a backseat” while the sign modification was approved but is still being pursued.
Though Nagro said Giannetti had nothing to do with the recently approved project, Giannetti said the sign modification of his “phase 1” of plans to reduce Route 1 traffic, with Terrapin Trails being “phase 2.”
Giannetti, who is running for re-election against former University System of Maryland Regent Jim Rosapepe, said Terrapin Trails requires a year-long approval process because the image of Testudo that will appear on all the signs is not sanctioned by SHA code, but when complete will be “more fan-oriented” than the sign modification.
“It’s similar in that we want to get people to the university and keep people off Route 1, but the whole idea of Terrapin Trails is to gain a unity among areas around the university,” Giannetti said.
Contact reporter Steven Overly at overlydbk@gmail.com
