29th and Charles Streets Construction will Last Through the Spring

Road construction to the south of Wyman Park at the intersection of 29th and Charles streets is underway and will continue into the spring.

The $613,000 project is aimed at making the intersection easier to navigate by eliminating lanes the sweep from southbound Charles Street headed west on 29th Street. The project will also eliminate the signal at 29th Street and Maryland Avenue.

The project is being done because of improvements made to the Wyman Park Dell by the city's Department of Parks and Recreation as well as planned improvement along the Charles Street corridor that will eventually run from the inner city to I-695.

The construction will also result in greater pedestrian access by adding pedestrian lights, hand boxes and Americans with Disabilities Act compliant ramps on the sidewalk.

So far the project has had minimal impact on traffic heading west on 29th Street, according to the city.

The larger overall redesign of Charles Street, which is scheduled to begin in Charles Village in November 2011, is expected to have a major impact on traffic in the area because it will close portions of Charles Street.

"It will be a significant redesign," said Sandy Sparks a Charles Village Civic Association member who has been working on a committee with the city on the redesign.