Motorists heading east on Johns Hopkins Road have a new, easier way to head north on U.S. 29..

Instead of eastbound traffic having to cross above the highway and then negotiate a roundabout before turning north onto U.S. 29, motorists can now use the new interchange ramp for faster access.

The ramp was opened yesterday with a rainy ribbon cutting.

The ceremony, which featured a clutch of state and county officials gathered under a white tent, marked the last step in a long state-county program to eliminate traffic lights along U.S. 29.

New interchanges were built at Route 216 and Johns Hopkins Road in southern Howard, where two, large mixed-use developments are expected to be constructed this decade.