The City of Rockville is proposing to remove an obsolete flashing warning beacon located at 323/325 West Edmonston Drive.  The beacon is supplemental to a “Stop Ahead” warning sign that cautions westbound motorists of an approaching "STOP" sign at the intersection of Welsh Drive.  The removal of this beacon would affect neither the "Stop Ahead" sign itself, nor the "STOP" signs at Welsh Drive, all of which would continue in service.
 
The underlying issue is that the original beacon equipment is now very old, having served long past its expected service life.  It has become difficult to keep the beacon functioning properly, and the costs of maintenance and repair have become excessive.

The City’s choices are either to replace the beacon using new equipment, or to remove it.   The latter course is proposed, since the beacon no longer has any measurable safety benefit and the expense of replacement and continuing operation do not appear to be cost-effective.  The cost of replacing the beacon would be about $7,000, while the annual cost for operation and maintenance would be about $700/year with the new equipment.   The cost of removing the beacon would be about $2,000.  Under the latter course, the PEPCO service powering the beacon would be removed and the associated account retired.    

This beacon was originally installed in the 1960’s to supplement a "School Zone" sign for the Hungerford Elementary School.   When the school was closed in the late 1980's, a companion "STOP" sign beacon on eastbound West Edmonston Drive was removed.  The westbound beacon, however, was kept in service to temporarily support a new "Stop Ahead" warning sign that replaced the "School Zone" sign.  The "Stop Ahead" sign should have become self-sufficient in cautioning westbound motorists within a year, but it was determined at the time that the beacon could serve a marginally useful purpose as long as it continued to operate satisfactorily.  That remained the case for more than a decade, but at least since 2002, the beacon has been in a state of chronic malfunction.

Public comments and/or questions regarding this proposal are invited through February 10, 2006.  Please contact Emad Elshafei, the City’s Acting Chief/Traffic and Transportation, at Eelshafei@rockvillemd.gov, or (240) 314-8508.