Cars drive west across the Route 50 bridge away from Ocean City, toward the drawbridge.
File photo
Commissioners approve letter to send to state
Charlene Sharpe, Associate Editor
Route 90, Route 589 and the Route 50 bridge remain the local transportation priorities for Worcester County officials.
On March 5, the Worcester County Commissioners approved the 2024 Consolidated Transportation Plan letter, which will be sent to the Maryland Department of Transportation to highlight improvements local officials would like to see made on area roads.
“The CTP letter is the county’s request to the Department of Transportation for projects we’d like to see undertaken,” Dallas Baker, the county’s director of public works, said. “Generally the guidelines are to try to isolate projects within State Highway’s right of way or MDOT’s right of way.”
He said the county’s proposed 2024 letter was the same letter that had been sent last year except for one minor change. Baker said the crosswalk at Route 589 and Manklin Creek was removed because it was actively under construction.
“It should be done in the next month or two,” he said.
Identified in the letter is the dualization of Route 90, the dualization of Route 589 and construction of a new drawbridge on Route 50. Also included is the signalization of the intersection of Route 611 and Assateague Road, and addition of a traffic signal at the intersection of Route 367 and Route 368 in Bishopville, among several other projects.
“As always, the top three are 90, 589 and the 50 drawbridge and then we have various other projects related to safety improvements, signal improvements, interchange improvements, studies,” Baker said. “With MDOT they have various pots of money designated toward large capital projects smaller safety projects, intersection improvements. We’ve tried to pepper this letter with being able to hit all the various funds. We’ve been pretty successful last year we had movement on six of the 10 projects we put forward.”
Baker said he’d received some last-minute input on the letter related to the need to address standing water at Route 113 and Johnson Neck Road and that he could include it in the letter if the commissioners agreed.
They indicated they’d like to see the addition and asked for updates from Baker on several of the projects identified. Commissioner Eric Fiori asked about the Assateague Road/Route 611 intersection.
“Unofficially, I know they are close to completing the study and … I believe they are going to recommend a signal there,” he said.
Baker said a roundabout had been considered but the idea had been abandoned because of the number of trailers and campers that traveled the road there, as well as the number of left turns being made.
“I just want to make constituents and residents aware that is being worked on diligently, it’s just a very complicated intersection,” Fiori said.
The commissioners voted unanimously to approve the CTP letter. Local officials are expected to meet with MDOT representatives during the annual Maryland Association of Counties conference in Ocean City this summer.