OCEAN CITY — Ocean City and the State Highway Administration (SHA) this week held the requisite public informational meeting on the somewhat controversial dune-style fence down a stretch of Coastal Highway, but judging by the relatively light attendance, it appears on the surface the public is generally indifferent to the proposal.
In January, the Mayor and Council approved the final design for the fence down the median of Coastal Highway from the Convention Center to Route 90. The proposed project appears to accomplish the goal of improving pedestrian safety and preventing mid-block crossings with a uniquely Ocean City median fence along with landscaping and improved lighting.
In the months since the design was approved, the dune-style median fence has elicited a wide range of responses from the public largely through social media. The responses have ranged from approval of the design unique to Ocean City to disdain for the concept in general and the final design specifically. Some have said those hell bent on crossing Coastal Highway mid-block will do so anyway and won’t be deterred by the fence, creating even more pedestrian safety issues.
However, while the comments and concerns have come fast and furious on social media, there appeared on the surface to be some apathy toward the project this week when SHA officials held the requisite public informational hearing at the Convention Center on Tuesday. SHA officials presented displays showing the design and location of the dune-style median fence and a mock-up section of what the final design might look like. In addition, SHA officials and resort officials were on hand to answer questions from the public about the project, but apart from a handful of interested citizens, the informational meeting was generally lightly attended.
Planning and Community Development Director Bill Neville and Councilman Dennis Dare look over some of the designs presented at Tuesday’s meeting.
The median fence project is part SHA’s larger Pedestrian Safety and Connectivity Project for the often dangerous section of Coastal Highway from the Convention Center to Route 90. The design approval in January set in motion a timetable that could have the fence installed by the start of the 2017 summer season and Tuesday’s public meeting was a necessary step in the process.
The undulating fence includes vertical slats at intervals that mirror Ocean City’s iconic dune fencing on the beach. The initial design did not include any horizontal elements and resort officials voiced concern the vertical slats were not spaced close enough together to encourage pedestrians from attempting to squeeze through and cross the highway at mid-block. SHA engineers went back to the drawing board and returned with a final design approved by the Mayor and Council in January that now includes a horizontal top rail and bottom rail close to the ground to discourage pedestrians from attempting the breach the fence and encouraging them to use the crosswalks at marked intersections.
The section from Convention Center Drive to Route 90 was chosen for the initial phase because historically it has seen the most pedestrian-vehicle collisions. Ultimately, the dune-style fence will run down the center of the median for the entire length of the highway.
SHA officials explained in January the section from Convention Center Drive to Route 90 would be done first, with future sections likely moving southward because that is typically where the most pedestrian traffic is. The overall project could be done in five or six, or even 10 sections, depending on the funding and construction schedule.
When the Mayor and Council approved the final design, it set in motion a timetable that would have the first phase completed in advance of the 2017 season. The next step will be planning and engineering, followed by bidding and a final Notice to Proceed sometime late in 2016.
