Developers Hope to Begin Downtown Columbia Connecting Path Construction Soon

One of the tenants of Downtown Columbia's development has been ensuring the area is walkable and bikeable. The connecting path between Howard County General Hospital and Blandair Park, which will run along Little Patuxent Parkway, down South Entrance Road and over U.S. Route 29 to Blandair is a big part of that idea.


Developers detailed the first phase of the pathway's development—along South Entrance Road and Little Patuxent Parkway—back in Sept. of 2012, saying at the time they hoped to begin construction in early 2013. But due to problems coordinating intersection improvements, traffic light update and easements with the county; construction on the first phase hasn't started, according to Daniel Biggs of the Toole Design Group.

"It's not a typical development project," said Biggs. "There are lots of intersections the pathway goes through and it goes past multiple land owners."

Biggs said the first phase received approval from the planning board in July, so developers hope to begin construction this fall. The project is being financed by the Howard Hughes Corp., although it will be owned by the county, a detail agreed upon in the Downtown Columbia plan. Biggs did not say how much the project is estimated to cost.

This first phase will connect to the Route 29 pedestrian bridge and continue on existing pathways across Stevens Forest Road and Thunder Hill Road to the Oakland Mills Village Center where it eventually connects to Blandair Park.

The second phase of the pathway will be presented at a pre-submission community meeting Tuesday. According to designs provided by Toole Design Group, this will extend the pathway from the intersection of Broken Land Parkway and Little Patuxent Parkway near Symphony Woods, up along LPP to the intersection of Cedar Lane in front of Howard County General Hospital.

Biggs said the second segment is about a mile and a half of pathway. The pathway parameters are 10 feet wide with a 5-foot wide buffer from the street. The pathway itself will be composed of permeable pavement lit with antique-style street lamps, according to designs provided by Toole design.

Biggs said developers hope to begin construction on the second phase in the early spring of 2014, as long as they can start on the first phase this year.

"We're hoping we worked out the finite details through the first phase," said Biggs.