Route 22 in the Churchville and Campus Hills area didn't become the traffic mess it is overnight, and it won't be fixed overnight.

Technically speaking, the territory is outside Harford County's development area, though the roadway that passes through it, Route 22, does link Bel Air to Aberdeen and Aberdeen Proving Ground.

Because it is in an area not slated for development, perhaps the pressure to improve the roadway has been relatively limited. But improvements are needed. Campus Hills is at the county's geographic center — which is why it's home to Harford Tech, Harford Community College and the John Archer School.

This educational complex, appropriately situated, makes for traffic problems unique in the county. And the problems are exacerbated by travelers going between Bel Air and Aberdeen.

It comes as good news, therefore, that the state and county will be making improvements to Route 22 and there are plans to acquire federal money to further ease congestion.

Fixing this problem, though, isn't something that's going to be accomplished by moving a few paint lines on roadways, and those involved with the project need to be aware of this. Perhaps one way they could be reminded of it would be if they were required to hold all their planning meetings on the subject at HCC during peak class time.