All roads shall be designed and constructed for the design speed
of the road. The design speed shall be 10 miles per hour over the
posted speed limit for roads posted over 50 miles per hour and five
miles per hour over the posted speed limit for roads posted at 50
miles per hour or below, or as determined by the Director. If the
roadway is not posted, according to Maryland State law, the speed
limit of the roadway is 30 miles per hour or as recommended and approved
by the Director.
Standard details for culs-de-sac and permanent and temporary
T-turnarounds are shown on Plates RD-17A, RD-17B, RD-17C, RD-17D,
and RD-17E.
A. Cul-de-sac.
(1) The radius of the paved circular portion shall be determined per
Plates RD-17C, RD-17D, or RD-17E.
(2) The minimum length of the cul-de-sac road shall be 400 feet. The
maximum length of the cul-de-sac roads shall be 1,600 feet.
B. T-turnaround.
(1) If a road designed as a temporary dead-end road is to be extended
at a future date, a temporary T-turnaround shall be used in place
of a cul-de-sac. The length of the turnaround, or "T" portion, shall
be equal to the width of the right-of-way. Barricades and special
end treatments may be required on a case-by-case basis as directed
by the Director.
(2) Permanent T-turnarounds shall be restricted to subdivisions serving
a maximum of 10 lots or as approved by the Director.
Commercial and industrial entrances shall be constructed in
accordance with MSHA standards, or as shown on Plate RD-13B.
For commercial (retail sales) or agribusiness developments on
unsubdivided property requiring site plan approval, the applicant
shall demonstrate adequate access to the site, and that this access
is specifically adapted to the uses anticipated and take into account
existing and proposed uses in the vicinity. The minimum adequate access
shall be a twenty-foot-wide roadway surfaced with a minimum of six
inches of graded aggregate base gravel (GAB).
Unless otherwise prohibited by a recorded land instrument, residents
of existing, privately owned rights-of-way are eligible to petition
the Board to become a publicly owned and maintained roadway through
the Road Tax District program. The Road Tax District Program and the
process for petitioning is described in the Md. Ann. Code, Article
25, § 155a. If the petition is approved, the roadway must be constructed
according to this chapter.
All proposed plats that include abandonment of public or privately
owned rights-of-way shall be reviewed by the Department, and a public
hearing before the Board for the abandonment of said public or private
rights-of-way shall be requested unless otherwise approved by the
Director. All proposed abandonments shall be accompanied by a metes
and bounds description of the portion of right-of-way to be abandoned,
as well as a plat exhibit to include bearings and distances. Requirements
for the public hearing request are detailed in the Annotated Code
of Maryland.