$1 Million for Route 589

(from a press release)

On October 27 Governor Robert L. Ehrlich announced $1 million to begin project planning for improvements to Route 589 (Racetrack Road) near Ocean Pines in Worcester County. The State Highway Administration (SHA) will be studying a full range of options from safety and operational improvements to the construction of additional lanes to increase highway capacity and improve safety along Route 589 between U.S. 50 and U.S. 113. This project is a top priority for the county, second only to U.S. 113.

"Worcester County elected officials and residents have made it very clear to us that improvements to Route 589 are a top priority," said Governor Ehrlich. "I have heard their requests and am pleased to announce we have added $1 million to move this key project forward. From our continued investments in U.S. 133 to the addition of funding for this project, my administration continues to work hard to improve quality of life for residents of Worcester County."

This $1 million will allow SHA to move this project into the planning phase and will build on a feasibility study completed a few years ago. The initial planning will look at how to manage the increasing traffic volumes on a busy route in Worcester County that serves a growing community of residents, schools and local businesses.

Earlier this month Governor Ehrlich announced nearly $14 million in additional funding to widen another 2.5 mile section of U.S. 113, from Hayes Landing Road to Goody Hill road. SHA will begin construction on this section in the summer of 2007 with completion anticipated in the fall of 2009.

Governor Ehrlich jump-started the work on the southern portion of U.S. 113 between Berlin and Snow Hill in the summer of 2004. With multiple phases of the southern section underway, more than $30 million has been invested to improve this key north-south corridor.