Esworthy Road Intersection & Safety Improvements Project

Project Background

• Montgomery County has proposed a project to install a roundabout at the intersection of Seneca Rd. and Esworthy Rd., replacing the current “Y” intersection. The project is part of a spot improvement effort.
• County engineers, managers, and consultants have stated that a roundabout is the most cost-effective and efficient way to reduce the risk of a serious crash at the intersection and that alternative solutions did not meet engineering standards. Our understanding is that the funding for this project does not take away from other projects.
• The following is a draft rendering developed by the County:

Current Status

The County has organized a public meeting on 1/22 @ 6:30 pm to discuss.
• Registration for the public meeting is required.
• There is an opportunity to indicate if you would like to speak. There is also an ability to raise your hand during the meeting.
• To register, submit questions, or reach out to the County Project Manager directly please visit Esworthy Road at MD 112 Seneca Road Intersection & Spot Improvements Project.
• All information becomes part of the public record.

DCA’s Role

• The DCA does not have a position on this issue.
• The DCA’s role is to facilitate communication between our residents and County and ensure the concerns of impacted neighbors and our community are heard and addressed.
• The DCA’s mission includes both improving vehicular, pedestrian and bicycle safety on our roads (the focus of our Roads Task Force) as well as representing the interests of our homeowners and neighborhood residents that are affected by proposed intersection changes like this.
• On November 20, 2023, the DCA’s Task Force sent a memo to Montgomery County Department of Transportation Division of Traffic Engineering and Operations. This memo captured many concerns and questions we’ve heard from the community over the last eleven months.

Timeline

• April 2021 – Project was listed on the Vision Zero 2030 Action Plan for Fiscal Years 2022 and 2023
• June 2021 – At the County’s request, a consultant study was completed on the intersection
• December 2022 – DCA first published an article on the planned project in the ‘The Little Acorn’
• November 2022 – DCA’s Roads Task Force – DCA Roads Task Force memo sent to County with community questions and concerns
• December 2023 – DCA published announcement of upcoming public meeting (date still TBD at that point) for January ‘24
• January 2024 – County-led public meeting planned for 1/22 @ 6:30pm

Relevant Links & Resources

• DCA RTF Memo to MCDOT on 11.20.2023 with County Responses
• MD 112 at Esworthy Traffic Study 06.11.2021
• Public Meeting Invitation for 1/22/2024 – Esworthy Rd Intersection & Spot Improvements

Additional Notes

• Expected cost of the project is $500K
• Because the project is a spot improvement it does not address, nor is any of the funding targeted to support, the wider concerns having to do with Esworthy Road aggressive driving, cut through volumes, and other nearby issues. The Roads Task Force has asked the County to communicate about the overall efforts being initiated throughout the Darnestown community.
• The County has stated that this project was initiated based on citizen complaints regarding safety.
• The intersection is one of eight “major” intersections in Darnestown. It scored 4th in concern in the DCA’s 2021 community survey which asked about six of the intersections:
Intersection % Supporting Improvement
28 & Turkey Foot 84
28 & Jones 75
112 & River 74
112 & Esworthy 71
28 & 112 70
28 & 118 61

The DCA Roads Task Force was started in late summer 2019. 

We are now a dozen volunteers strong dedicated to increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all.  We publish updates on our activities in The Little Acorn newsletter. Many of the questions on the survey are a result of our work to understand community concerns, technical performance reviews, and interaction with county planners and operational personnel.  While we work on near term improvements such as signal timing, signage updates, pavement markings, and similar quick fixes most of the questions are long lead time ideas, some perhaps three or more years out, some perhaps seven or more years out.

We want to expand our understanding of what you like, what you see needs to be improved, and what you wish for the future.  We hope many different viewpoints emerge.  Building community capability and connectedness around our future is our primary purpose.  Darnestown is a very special place filled with caring people and we want to hear from you. Your answers will help us prioritize and set direction.  We are excited to work with you to build a future vision of our area.  As a community, once our ideas coalesce around a cohesive vision we can be begin to advocate for more than just fixing problems. 

Thank you for helping create the future of Darnestown.