Active Transportation
Master Planning
The Office of Transportation develops and implements master plans for pedestrian and bicycle transportation through different programs and projects.
WalkHoward
WalkHoward is Howard County's pedestrian master plan and was adopted in February 2020 through Council Resolution 14-2020. This master plan addresses walking in all of its forms – whether you are trying to get somewhere or just taking a casual stroll somewhere you love.
- Visit WalkHoward
BikeHoward
BikeHoward, the Howard County bicycle master plan, was adopted by the County Council in 2016. The plan provides guidance for improvements for transportation and recreational bicycling, both on-street and off-street. Recommendations are provided in the general areas of infrastructure improvements, policy and programs.
- Visit BikeHoward
Programs
Howard County Council Resolution 35-2016 requires the County to develop a Complete Streets Policy and Design Manual updates in accordance with the following policy intention statement:
“To ensure that Howard County is a place for individuals of all backgrounds to live and travel freely, safely, and comfortably, public and private roadways in Howard County shall be safe and convenient for residents of all ages and abilities who travel by foot, bicycle, public transportation or automobile, ensuring sustainable communities Countywide.”
Current Implementation Projects
Howard County frequently implements recommendations in the Bicycle Master Plan when a roadway is being resurfaced to maximize cost efficiency.
Howard County is conducting a county-wide bicycle network study to improve bicycle wayfinding signage. The goal of this project is to help people to better understand and use Howard County’s bicycle network and make create easy connections with destinations.
Shared-Use Pathway 30% Design
For more information about the shared-use pathway 30% design project, please visit the project page.
Traffic Study
Public comments related to the traffic study are welcome. However, traffic studies are for informational purposes, and they are not adopted as policy by the County. The traffic study also serves to help the County in its work with State Highway Administration to anticipate needed roadway improvements.
Clarksville Pike Multi-Modal Traffic Study and Preliminary Engineering.pdf
Clarksville Pike Multi-Modal Traffic Study-Appendix A Intersection Lanes and Photos.pdf
Clarksville Pike Multi-Modal Traffic Study-Appendix B Traffic Count Data.pdf
Clarksville Pike Multi-Modal Traffic Study-Appendix C Existing Cross Sections.pdf
Clarksville Pike Multi-Modal Traffic Study-Appendix F - Cost Estimate.pdf
Clarksville Pike Multi-Modal Traffic Study-Appendix G - Traffic Analysis Worksheets.pdf
Howard County has received a Transportation Alternatives grant for a feasibility study for a pedestrian bridge from Trolley Line No.9 trail across the river to Ellicott City. This project will be coordinated with the Ellicott City master plan.
This project includes the design and construction of shared-use pathway connections at the intersection of Hickory Ridge Road and Broken Land Parkway. A study was completed in 2020 to investigate multimodal connection opportunities between the Village of River Hill, Village of Hickory Ridge, and Downtown Columbia. This project will be derived from a some of the proposed improvements established in the 2020 corridor plan.
For more information, please visit the project webpage.
The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate the feasibility of providing pedestrian and bicycle facilities along Montgomery Road between Deborah Jean Drive and Rowanberry Drive. The study will seek to implement the County’s Complete Streets Design Manual in this area.
For more information, please visit the project webpage.
The goal of this project is to develop an enhanced bicycle connection from the Patuxent Branch Trail trailhead at Savage Park to the North Laurel Community Center continuing to the Laurel Race Track MARC Station and the Laurel MARC Station, potentially including a shared use pathway to improve access and connections across an existing utility right of way.
For more information, please visit the project webpage.
The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate the feasibility of providing pedestrian and bicycle facilities in the North Laurel Area of the County. Specifically, the study's extent will include the stretch of Old Scaggsville Road from Superior Ave to High Ridge Park. The study will seek to implement the County’s Complete Streets Design Manual in this area.
For more information, please visit the project webpage.
Howard County received a Transportation Alternatives grant to upgrade the surface of the Patuxent Branch Trail between the Patuxent Branch trailhead at Old Guilford Road and Vollmerhausen Road in Savage. This project is needed to alleviate existing poor drainage, ensure compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards, and complete a critical connectivity link as part of a regional bicycle and pedestrian network between Downtown Columbia, Savage and Laurel.
For more information, see the project page.
The Howard County Office of Transportation is conducted a planning study and preliminary design for a shared-use (pedestrian and bicycle) pathway along Robert Fulton Drive.
The South Entrance Trail (formerly known as the Downtown Columbia to Stevens Forest Road Pathway) would connect the growing shared-use pathway network in Downtown Columbia to Hillcroft Executive Park, Owen Brown, Lake Elkhorn, and the Patuxent Branch Trail. The 1.3-mile pathway would generally follow an existing sewer alignment along the Little Patuxent River.
For more information, see the project page.
In 2017-18, Howard County undertook a US 1 Safety Evaluation in response to a significant increase in the number of pedestrian fatalities along US 1 in 2015 and 2016 and in light of increasing residential and mixed-use development in this historically commercial and industrial corridor. Howard County is now moving forward with implementation of some of the Evaluation's recommendations in partnership with the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration.
Completed Implementation Projects
BikeHoward Express is Howard County's accelerated 3-year implementation plan for bicycle infrastructure in Howard County.
This project will create a north-south connection, via a combination of a new shared-use path, paving, and sharrows, between Hickory Ridge Road and Little Patuxent Parkway via Howard Community College. This connection is identified by both BikeHoward and Howard Community College’s Facilities Master Plan, and will not only improve bicycle and pedestrian access to the College but also link with existing pathways to create a new bicycle and pedestrian route between Hickory Ridge and the Downtown Columbia Trail.
For more information, see the project page.
The Department of Recreation and Parks has constructed a trail connection adjacent to Old Guilford Road between the Guilford Pratt Truss Bridge and the Patuxent Branch Trail to Lake Elkhorn. This project increases safety for people walking, jogging, and bicycling along Old Guilford Road, and contribute to the goal of a connected pathway between Columbia and Savage.