STEVENSVILLE — Locals packed the meeting space at Bayside Elementary April 10 to share concerns surrounding the Route 50/301 ramp management pilot.
Officials from the County Commissioners, Office of the Sheriff, Emergency Services, Public Works and the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration met with interested residents at the school in Stevensville. There was a line to get in. One attendee remarked as she waited in line to get in, “It’s a shame this many people don’t show up to vote!”
Commissioner Christopher Corchiarino led the evening off relating an incident in which a Cloverfield resident suffered a severe heart attack requiring emergency services to administer life saving care. The man thankfully made a full recovery, however he said he believes if it had happened on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, his wife would be a widow today. Corchiarino used this story as an illustration for why traffic planning is essential particularly during peak tourist season.
Questions from area residents touched on a number of different topics pertaining to the ramp closures from various points of view. One resident asked if there could be a sticker or pass on a resident vehicle to allow it to access the ramps during closures. An idea that is not feasible, according to Moran, because limiting access to local residents only during periods of heavy congestion does not align with the exceptions allowed in federal regulations.
The law which governs the use of state roads and highways, indicates that if a roadway is closed it must be restricted to all parties unilaterally, he explained.
Closure times have been adjusted in response to a previous meeting where residents voiced concerns over shift workers who needed to cross the westbound bridge to get to work on a Saturday or Sunday. And the plan will continue to be evaluated and modified in response to the needs of the residents.
Moran concluded by saying the deployment of county services such as police, fire and first responders was a key factor in making the plan work for the community.
Asked if Kent Island was being impacted by the Key Bridge accident, Moran said there was an increase in some commercial traffic through the island, as well as an increase in some additional HAZMAT traffic on Rt 301/50.
“While this pilot will not fix the longstanding congestion around the Bay Bridge, we anticipate it will provide some relief for residents and businesses on Kent Island during peak weekend travel periods,” State Highway Administration Administrator Will Pines previously stated.
The pilot ramp closures are intended to help reduce local road congestion by routing MD 18 traffic on Kent Island back to US 50/301 at one location.
Drivers headed west to the Bay Bridge on weekends can help themselves while helping local residents and emergency responders by staying on US 50.
The administration says they have found success with a similar pilot program on the western shore.
The Maryland State Highway Administration launched the new ramp management pilot program to encourage Bay Bridge westbound commuters to stay on Rt. 50 in September of last year. The program was designed to keep MD 18 (Main Street) clear of commuter congestion for emergency responders and locals.
The ramp restrictions continued each Saturday and Sunday for three consecutive weekends from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.During these periods, three westbound ramps onto Rt. 50 were limited to restricted access. Those ramps are: Service road/Shopping Center Road between Exit 39A (Castle Marina Road) and Exit 38 (Duke Street); Duke Street (Exit 38) and MD 8 (Business Parkway/Romancoke Road, Exit 37).
The Department allowed access to exit ramps onto MD 8 and MD 18, but entry onto westbound US 50 at these locations was closed. Detour signs were placed to direct drivers to MD 18 east to Castle Marina Road to westbound 50.
The US 50/301 Kent Island ramp management program will continue in 2024. Ramps from MD 8 to westbound US 50/301 and Duke St. to westbound US 50/301 will be closed Saturday, Sunday and Monday holidays from noon to 6 p.m. These closures will be in effect each weekend from May 18 through Sept. 2. Detour signs will be posted, directing motorists to access westbound US 50/301 via Castle Marina Rd. Currently, there are no plans to close the Shopping Center Rd. (services area) ramp to westbound US 50/301.
Future phases of the pilot will see the closures backed up to the Narrows at first and then to Nesbit Road in an effort to further curtail non-resident traffic in and about the Rt 18 corridor and associated Kent Island roadways.
Commissioner Philip Dumenil added, “A lot of the data that we received (from the pilot last fall) proved that this can work. Again, the whole idea of this program is to condition the folks that are traveling from Ocean City west to head back to home through our county to stay on Route 50.”
Most Popular
Comments / 0