The Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) on June 24 unveiled early designs for a major overhaul of the 1.9-mile stretch of Route 1 from University Boulevard in College Park to Sunnyside Avenue in Beltsville.
Key to the design, which state planners said is approximately 5% complete, are curb-high bike lanes and pedestrian walkways on both sides of the highway, separated into two paths in some places, and a center-of-the-road bicycle and pedestrian pathway, protected by Jersey wall-type concrete barriers, as the street approaches the on- and off-ramps from the Beltway.
SHA officials said the configuration would be a first for Maryland.
“We’re calling it the protected Terrapin Track,” said Erich Florence, deputy district engineer for SHA’s District 3 office, noting the University of Maryland connection.
Justin Leary, vice president of the North College Park Community Association, said he was encouraged by what he saw at the workshop, held at Beltsville Academy.
“I’m pretty happy to see a continuous bike lane all across Route 1 here,” Leary said. “I think that’s really important for this community—it allows a certain amount of connectivity that isn’t otherwise possible.”
SHA has estimated that the design stage, for which state funding is approved, could take until 2031 to complete. Construction will begin sometime after that.
About 80 residents, mostly from College Park and Beltsville, attended the unveiling to view photos and giant maps of the initial design, spread out on three long tables. Visitors stuck Post-it notes with suggestions and feedback all over the maps.
The project encompasses the second and third phases of a three-part renovation of state-owned Route 1, which College Park Mayor Fazlul Kabir calls “College Park’s Main Street” and City Councilmember Jacob Hernandez (District 1) has dubbed “the gateway to the university.”
The state completed Phase 1 last year, adding bright green bike lanes, new sidewalks, updated landscaping, and other safety and aesthetic improvements along the stretch from College Avenue to University Boulevard.
Jeff Davis, deputy director of SHA’s Office of Highway Development, said the Phase 2 and 3 design reflects how the field has evolved since Phase 1 was conceived.
“A lot of best practices in the bicycle and pedestrian design world have come out over the years since the original design was developed for College Park,” Davis said. “Even though it was constructed in 2024, those designs had their origins in 2015 and 2016.”
The new design also takes a different approach to utility poles, which caused significant delays during Phase 1 when they had to be relocated. This time, the team designed around them.
“Designing around them versus disturbing them avoids additional cost to the project, and when you have to relocate utility poles, it extends the project schedule,” Florence said. “Designing around is always going to be a much more effective way.”
State Sen. Jim Rosapepe (District 21) agreed.
“It’s kind of a new idea to design sidewalks around utility poles instead of beside utility poles,” Rosapepe said. “Which strikes me like, why did it take so long?”
The proposed design would also add medians along some sections of the corridor, which currently runs as a five-lane undivided road with a center turn lane. SHA officials acknowledged the change will affect how local drivers access nearby businesses and neighborhoods.
Davis said that is one of the most important things the community can weigh in on right now.
“When you put a median in versus having a continuous two-way center turn lane, that is going to change the way people get around locally,” Davis said. “We want to hear if there’s a certain movement that should be preserved—where we need a left turn there, or we need an additional pedestrian crossing.”
He added that the timing makes community input especially valuable.
“We’re out here early,” Davis said. “It’s very easy to make those changes” at this stage of design.
Prince George’s County Councilmember Eric Olson (District 3) said the project addresses a problem years in the making.
“We don’t want people to be hit and die like they were 10 years ago,” Olson said. “We have to make sure we’re accommodating every mode of transportation.”
“A safer road makes it better for commerce, makes it better for residents, makes it better for traffic flow,” he added.
Rosapepe said getting the project this far required a deliberate political push. He said the 21st District legislative delegation tied funding for the project to a broader transportation package that passed the state Legislature.
Davis said he was heartened by the positive feedback he got at the workshop.
“If a project isn’t well received, those are usually the projects that don’t move forward,” he said. “If we get a lot of community support and the elected officials are behind it, those are the projects that move forward.”