About BPPA Program
The Bicycle & Pedestrian Priority Area (BPPA) is a State Highway Administration (SHA) program, collaborating with local jurisdictions to prioritize safety and accessibility for cyclists and pedestrians within a designated .5 mile radius area. As of 2025, the program has designated 15 BPPAs in Maryland. The State works with local transportation agencies to develop a BPPA plan to address various challenges for cyclists and pedestrians within the BPPA.
Click here more information on the statewide BPPA Program.
Elkridge BPPA Overview
The Elkridge BPPA was positioned to include a variety of sites that are key bike & pedestrian destinations. These include the Elkridge Branch Library & 50+ Senior Center, Elkridge Elementary School and Elkridge Landing Middle School, various shopping centers and restaurants, and highly populated neighborhoods in the Elkridge area. The imminent development of the new 65,000 square foot Elkridge Community Center in the Elkridge Civic District will also increase the need for safe and convenient bicycle and pedestrian connections.
Current conditions for cycling or walking within the BPPA include major obstacles like US-1, which bisects the BPPA and separates the Elkridge community from accessing key amenities and resources. Howard County's 2018 US-1 Safety Evaluation identified it as a key focus area due to crash history, in particular collisions involving pedestrians. Tragically, there have been three pedestrian fatalities along this stretch of US-1 in recent years.
In addition to the obstacles posed by US1, multimodal transportation along Montgomery Road also provides a challenge to residents in the Elkridge Civic District. The Montgomery Road bridge crossing over Interstate 95 is also a key barrier for Elkridge residents. By addressing this barrier, residents of East and West Elkridge neighborhoods will be connected. Furthermore, addressing this barrier will expand residential access to the nearby Rockburn Branch Park.
During development of the BPPA Plan, OOT and SHA will:
- Gather and evaluate available existing information and data within the project limits. This will include GIS information, identification of major pedestrian/bike generators, field observations, roadway posted speed limits, roadway characteristics within the corridor, and any available crash data.
- Develop preliminary findings for proposed pedestrian and bicycle improvements within the project limits.
- Host a public meeting to discuss the plan and facilitate feedback from residents.
- Identify constraints and evaluate impacts of proposed concepts including drainage and SWM concerns, as well as potential environmental,
grading, right-of-way, and utility impacts. - Create a final report of the study, which will include a comprehensive summary of the BPPA, critical elements/constraints within the
BPPA, and proposed improvements.
Public Meeting
A public meeting will be held at the Elkridge Library on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, to discuss the preliminary findings for the Elkridge BPPA Plan.
A survey will be made available for the public to provide feedback on the project concepts.
Questions on the project can be directed to transportation@howardcountymd.gov. Please subscribe to receive updates from the Office of Transportation on this project's public meeting and other news.