Maryland Route 138 dips and climbs and veers through the wooded countryside of Baltimore County, mostly unregulated apart from speed limits that vary from 40 to 25 mph.

Signs warn drivers to slow down as the two-lane, undivided state highway, named Monkton Road, approaches the symbolic center of the unincorporated community of Monkton, where on Aug. 23 a 69-year-old woman was struck and killed while walking her dog.

This spot, where the popular Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail crosses Route 138, is part of Gunpowder Falls State Park, a gathering spot for hikers, joggers, bicyclists, horseback riders, paddlers, and lately people floating on inner tubes on the nearby Gunpowder Falls. A hotel, café, bicycle rental shop, public restrooms and a small parking lot flank the crossing.

Those familiar with the crosswalk consider it to be one of the most dangerous on the trail, created in 1984 over the former path of the Northern Central Railroad. Crossing to the south is fairly safe, they said, with open views to both directions of vehicular traffic. But visitors crossing to the north are vulnerable to eastbound traffic.

Westbound drivers can see the entire crossing well in advance. Eastbound drivers are warned of the crosswalk by a sign 350 feet beforehand, but they cannot see it for another 100 feet. Drivers have only a few seconds to stop should they see a person on the south side of the crossing, where, according to Baltimore County Police, Julie Klein-Whitmore was hit by an eastbound pickup truck the morning of Aug. 23. The driver of the 2010 Chevy Silverado remained at the scene. Klein-Whitmore had been walking her dog with a family member. She was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead about five hours later.

“It’s a blind curve,” said cyclist Dean Edwards, from Bel Air. “If you’re not paying attention, it could lead to bad things. By the time drivers see you, you’re pretty far into it [the crossing]. What I do is listen [for vehicles], and if I don’t hear anything I use the power of the bicycle to get across quickly. I mean someone died here, that’s crazy.”

Edwards uses the trail about once a week, riding 42 to 60 miles up to the Pennsylvania border, depending on where he starts, despite the risk of crossing highways.

“The woods out here are gorgeous,” Edwards said. “This trail is the prettiest and gets the most shade.”

Stop signs, flashing lights, rumble strips and speed bumps were among the suggestions he and other visitors interviewed this week suggested.

Maryland Department of Natural Resources spokesperson Gregg Bortz said the Park Service, a unit of DNR, and the Baltimore County Police Department “plan to have discussions about safety at that intersection. The county and State Highway Administration would make any decisions regarding specific options.”

State Sen. Chris West, who represents parts of Baltimore and Carroll counties, said he “strongly urged” SHA to consider installing flashing, orange lights on Monkton Road.

“If it saves one life, it’s worth it,” said West, who himself has ridden the entire length of the rail trail. “I’ve always thought this crossing was primed for a terrible accident, and now one has happened.”

Shanteé Felix, a spokeswoman for the SHA, said the agency is waiting for the final accident report from the Baltimore County Police Department. After receiving it, engineers will review the findings and make recommendations for improvements. There have been no other fatal accidents at this crossing, although the area has been on its radar for years, according to the agency.

“In recent years, our district office has had a series of meetings with a group that includes local elected officials and community members to discuss concerns along MD 138 surrounding the trail crossing,” Felix said.

As a result of those meetings, she said, road markings, additional speed limit signs and other signage have been added since 2022.

Buddy Sueck lives nearby and was home the day of the collision. He has lived in Monkton since 1987 and has seen traffic as well as the number of visitors increase. The crossing is a regular part of his life.

“I look a lot and listen a lot,” Sueck said. “I wait to make sure the drivers see me.”

He suspects the morning sun might have been a factor in the fatal collision, which occurred at 8:30 a.m. on a weekday when residents are typically commuting to work.

Over time, Sueck observed, “there has been less and less kindness. I saw a car stop to let someone cross the other day and the car behind it started honking. They almost got into a fight.”

Patience also seems to be waning on Monkton Road.

“Sometimes, drivers will drive on the shoulder to pass a car on the roadway,” Sueck said.

Meanwhile, the trail has never been more popular. Usage hit a tipping point during the pandemic, Sueck said, as the entire region seemed to discover this gem of accessible outdoor recreation. The trail is well used even in winter, sometimes by cross-country skiers when it snows.

In 2022, more than 903,000 people visited the trail, making it the sixth-most visited property managed by the Park Service. Year-to-date visitation for 2023 is more than 571,000, Bortz said.

James Southern, 36, of Baltimore, uses the trail once a month, and referred to the eastbound approach to the crossing as a “blind crest.” He is also familiar with the trail as a driver, crossing it often at various places in the county.

“Usually, I barely slow down,” he said, “but at this crossing, I pretty much stop.”

hugo.kugiya@thebaltimorebanner.com