Baltimore County officials opened the last section of Owings Mills Boulevard to traffic on Thursday, connecting the communities of Randallstown and Owings Mills.
The newest section of the boulevard is 1.2 miles long, stretching between Liberty Road on the south end and Winands Road on the north end. It cost $13 million to build.
With Owings Mills Boulevard complete, motorists traveling between the two communities will have a quicker drive. Currently, drivers often cut through residential neighborhoods to get to the Liberty Road corridor.
Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz said he started working on Owings Mills Boulevard when he was a county councilman in the mid-1990s and is glad it's finally finished. He said the boulevard is "like the LinkedIn of roads."
"It really connects two strong communities," said Kamenetz, a Democrat who lives nearby in Owings Mills.
Following a ribbon-cutting ceremony with local community and business leaders, Kamenetz hopped in a county dump truck to make the first drive down the completed boulevard.
Sudip Patel, who runs two Dunkin' Donuts franchises on Liberty Road, said he's been waiting for Owings Mills Road to be completed, hopeful that the road will funnel traffic right past his shops.
Adam Fitzpatrick, who has a State Farm insurance office on Liberty Road, said the completed boulevard will make for an easier commute for him and quicker access for clients.
With Owings Mills Boulevard connecting to Interstate 795, Fitzpatrick said it will make it easier to head south toward Baltimore or north toward Carroll County. "It's going to open up ease of access to Carroll County," he said.
Baltimore County Councilman Julian Jones, a Woodstock Democrat who represents the area, also appreciates the easier access to Interstate 795.
"It's going to stop people from zig-sagging through the community to get to Owings Mills and 795," Jones said. He hopes to lobby the Maryland Transit Administration to run a new or reconfigured bus route down Owings Mills Boulevard from Liberty Road to the Metro Subway station in Owings Mills.
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