9/20/2006

Roads remain a burning question
By Bob Lassahn

The issues surrounding U.S. 113 (Worcester Highway) and MD 589 (Racetrack Road) are a burning question in the minds of many county residents and even more so for the county commissioners. As a body the commissioners have pressed to bring about the dualization (conversion to a four lane divided highway) of the remaining portion of U.S. 113 and to at least bring MD 589 onto the drawing board for improvement.

The most northern and southern portions of U.S. 113 have already been completed. The northern stretch, from the Delaware line south to Berlin brought to fruition largely through the concerted efforts of a grass roots citizen organization CRASH (Concerned Residents Action for Safer Highways).

On June 29, 2004 the commissioners were enthusiastic as Governor Robert L. Erlich, Jr. announced the beginning of reconstruction on the remaining two lane section of U.S. 113. At the time the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) anticipated construction on the project would begin in the spring of 2005 and projected completion by 2007. The section of U.S. 113 remaining for dualization is just over 13 miles, extending southward from just below Berlin (approximately Croppers Island Road) to north of the intersection of Business 113 (Market Street) outside of Snow Hill.

The total project is broken into five phases with phase one, approximately four miles of road beginning at Market Street and progressing north to MD 365 (Public Landing Road). The remaining phases include: Phase two between Hayes Landing and Massey Branch; Phase three between Massey Branch and Five Mile Branch Road; Phase four from Five Mile Branch Road to Public Landing and Phase five will be improvements to the interchange at MD 12 (Snow Hill Road) and U.S. 113.

At present the southernmost phase is the only funded portion of the project and secured only $750,000 from the feds this year. In contrast the MD 404 improvement project picked up $4 million. The disparity was not lost on the commissioners, leading Sonny Bloxom to publicly air his concern and Virgil Shockley to meet privately with Senator Barbara Mikulski seeking some answers. There appears to be some discrepancy regarding exactly who is responsible for the limited funding, with the state pointing to the feds and the feds inferring the state is responsible.

Regardless of where the ball was dropped the dearth of funds puts the project on the slow track. According to SHA Assistant District Engineer (District One) Ravi Ganzir it is presently impossible to even speculate when the project might be completed. The schedule will hinge on funding and about $100 million will be required to finish the remaining portions of U.S. 113. Unless funding increases significantly that could indicate a very long project.

Any major improvements to MD 589 will be delayed even further since, according to Mr. Ganzir, it will not be considered for any action until the U.S. 113 project is complete. It would not be unreasonable to assume the start of the planning process could be several decades out based upon current progress.

While MD 589 is designated a major collector road and falls below the level of importance for SHA of roads such as U.S. 113, the designation may be misleading. It is the only road providing access and egress for Ocean Pines, the largest population center in the county, serving the two commercial centers of Pines Plaza and Pennington Commons and of course Ocean Downs Raceway. The local traffic alone is sufficient to stress the capacity of the road during peak travel times, but there is also another dynamic at work to make the potential congestion more severe. The 4.9 mile section of roadway provides a direct link between U.S. 113 and MD 50 (Ocean Gateway) and serves as a convenient shortcut for travelers destined for West Ocean City and the southernmost environs of Ocean City proper.

Traffic going south on U.S.113 could easily link to MD 90 and U.S. 50 via a cloverleaf intersection traveling only a short distance south beyond the MD 589 turnoff. But, whether by local knowledge of the individual or routing from a mapping program the MD 589 alternative might be selected.

All of the internet based mapping programs will send a southbound U.S. 113 traveler onto MD 589 when the destination is toward the south end of Ocean City. To test this simply enter Selbyville, DE as a starting point and an intersection such as Philadelphia Avenue and Somerset Street as a destination. Programs such as Google, Yahoo and Mapquest will inevitably direct traffic across MD 589. The roadway is likely getting more than its share of visitors bound for the resort.

The county commissioners have pressured the SHA to at least put MD 589 into the planning process, but thus far to no avail. In response another grass roots group, Safe Travel Along Route 589 (STAR589) has been formed to carry the battle forward. There is hope that concerned and committed citizens might succeed where local government has fallen short.

Commissioner Tom Cetola offered the suggestion that the county might provide somewhere in the range of $1 million for MD 589 planning, but the idea does not sit well with some of his colleagues. Commissioner Judy Boggs says she is concerned about setting a precedent with the county assuming the burden for a state responsibility.

On October 10 at 10 a.m. the county commissioners will meet with officials of the Maryland Transportation Authority and SHA at Snow Hill. The meeting is open to the public and they hope to see the citizens of Worcester County turn out in force. A public outpouring demonstrating a commitment to the completion of the U.S.113 project and to see MD 589 placed into the process for much needed improvements may result from their efforts.

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