Recently, I was browsing the Route 1 sector plan documents to see what we can expect when Route 1 will be rebuilt in north College Park. According to the plan, the Route 1 in College Park (from the Beltway to the College Ave.) will be built in three phases. The City recently received $8.8 million to design the first part – from Rt 193 / University Blvd. to College Avenue. This is the part of Route 1 which is located in south College Park. There is no word when we will be receiving funds to redevelop Route 1 in north College Park. That said, we will try our best to seek additional funds to accelerate redevelopment of Rt 1 in our part of the City.
Rt 1 in north College Park - current view: The corner of US 1 and Erie Street looking north. The low scale of the buildings, wide expanse of roadway, frequent curb cuts, and lack of spatial definition between street and buildings make the area unattractive to pedestrians.
Rt 1 in north College Park - future view: Overhead power lines are removed and relocated either underground or behind building. Curb cuts are minimized to allow the construction of an uninterrupted sidewalk. The center lane is removed. A coordinated streetscape is added to include wide sidewalks, street trees, pedestrian-scaled lighting, and parallel parking. Curb cuts are minimized to allow the construction of an uninterrupted sidewalk. Thecenter lane is removed. A coordinated streetscape is added to include wide sidewalks, street trees,pedestrian-scaled lighting, and parallel parking.