Hillen Road improvements 'a blessing'

A well used stretch of road in downtown Towson is now a poster child for "walkable Towson," instead of an obstacle course for pedestrians, thanks to a $250,000 Baltimore County Department of Public Works project.

While some drivers in and around Towson are unfamiliar with the 2,000-foot stretch of Hillen Road between Towsontown Boulevard and Burke Avenue, other have discovered it as a favorite shortcut that avoids the congestion at the failing intersection of Burke and York Road.

Until July, that made it a dangerous for pedestrians.

Those who walked on the scrubby-looking stretch of asphalt had to pick their way through dirt and grass on the east side of the street or, on trash days, through cans and containers behind row houses that line the west side of the street.

Or pedestrians could choose to share the surface of the road with fast-moving cars undeterred by traffic lights — and hope for the best.

On Sundays, it could be even more hazardous because of cars parked on the grass by members of Mt. Calvary AME Church, on the east side of Hillen, extended into road space.

Thanks to the DPW project, now the entire stretch of roadway north of Burke has curbs and gutters on its west side and sidewalks on its east side that connect with the sidewalks on Burke and Towsontown Boulevard.

"I'm very happy with Hillen," said Councilman David Marks, who worked with the community and pushed for the project. "I'm impressed with the speed they did it in and how it makes the area interconnected. It was a good project."

The work won approval from the North East Towson Improvement Association as well.

"I think it's lovely," said president Adelaide Bentley. "You don't have to walk in the street anymore. It makes it easier for people to get here and there."

Initially, church officals were concerned about what the road work would do to their property, Marks said.

But Mt. Calvary executive minister Dr. Stanley Fuller said last month that the project has been "a real blessing" for the community.

"I see kids on the sidewalk instead of walking in the street," he said. "It has made it safe for the people and allowed them to walk right in the center of the town.

"It makes the community friendlier. We're excited and happy about it. '

Although church members can no longer park on the street, he said, "that was not a good idea, the road is so narrow."

But the church has an arrangement with the owners of the Cranston Building just over a block away that allows members to park there on Sundays, he said. "It all works out."