BERLIN — Maryland Governor Larry Hogan last week announced a nearly $2 billion investment in highway and bridge construction projects across the state, including roughly $65 million for the long-anticipated next section of the dangerous Route 113 in Worcester County.
Hogan last Thursday announced $1.97 billion will be invested in highway safety improvement projects all over the state. The announcement fulfills a campaign promise by the governor to address the state’s failing highway and bridge infrastructure from the Eastern Shore to western Maryland and everywhere in between.
“I am delivering on my promise to provide nearly $2 billion in funding to our highways and bridges across the state,” he said. “This investment will not only move long-awaited highway projects into construction, so that Maryland families and businesses will benefit from safer, smoother roads, but it will also address every single structurally deficit bridge in the state. Building, maintaining and fixing Maryland’s roads and bridges is a top priority of our administration.”
Included in the governor’s transportation spending plan is $65 million in new state funding for the next section of the dualization of Route 113 in Worcester County. For the last two decades or so, the state has been dualizing sections of Route 113 from the Delaware line to south of Snow Hill in piecemeal fashion with frequent gaps in the activity.
The next section approved for funding by Hogan last week will run from Five Branch Rd. to north of Public Landing Rd. and is timed to begin construction at the conclusion of the current phase in the Newark area. The Newark section is nearing the end of its design phase and construction on that section could begin as soon as this August.
Worcester County officials have identified the upgrade and widening of Route 113 as its top transportation priority. The next section approved for funding last week will include widening the roadway from its current two-lane configuration to a four-lane configuration with a median including shoulders wide enough to accommodate bicycles. Delegate Mary Beth Carozza (R-38C), who represents Worcester and the parts of the Lower Shore, praised the governor for including Route 113 in his ambitious transportation spending plan.
“We in Worcester County are grateful to Governor Hogan for moving forward with funding the widening of Route 113 in his transportation priorities,” she said. “There has been a real local team effort over the years to address the safety issues on Route 113 and my constituents have made it clear that finishing the improvements on Route 113 remains a top priority. Thank you, Governor Hogan, for bringing us welcome news for our home community.”
While Route 113 remains Worcester County’s top priority, other future projects on the county’s list include improvements to Route 589, Route 90 and Route 50, including long-term plans to replace the Route 50 bridge into Ocean City. State Highway Administration officials have said there might be interim improvements to Route 589 while the Route 113 upgrades are ongoing.
Meanwhile, another major project included in the governor’s transportation spending plan announced last week was the dualization of Route 404 from Route 50 to the Denton bypass in Caroline County. While not specific to the Lower Shore and the local area, many area residents and countless visitors to the resort area utilize the Route 404 corridor to reach the beach.
“Over the years, Route 404 has claimed the lives of dozens of motorists, making it one of the state’s most dangerous roads,” said Senator Steve Hershey (R-36). “This governor committed to bringing change to Maryland and he has delivered every day since. Regarding transportation alone, he has lowered tolls and now brought dualization to one of the Eastern Shore’s most dangerous arteries, a major safety improvement.”
