OCEAN CITY — Resort officials this week agreed to move forward with deeding a small parcel on the corner of 41st Street and Coastal Highway to the State Highway Administration (SHA) to expedite the median fence project.
Last year, the Mayor and Council approved the development of a dune-style median fence down the center of Coastal Highway from Route 90 to the convention center to improve pedestrian safety along the corridor. The project was expected to be completed before this summer, but was moved back a year after only one bidder presented a bid well over the estimated budget last year.
SHA will re-bid the project with a new target completion date of spring 2018. In the meantime, Ocean City and SHA officials are in the process of tying up some loose ends that will help expedite the project once it is successfully bid.
Public Works Director Hal Adkins explained to the Mayor and Council on Tuesday SHA was asking the town to convey the deed to a roughly 450-foot piece of property on the southwest corner of 41st Street and Coastal Highway to help facilitate the installation of utilities including a lighting control box needed for the new lighting system down the center median. As part of the larger dune-fence project, SHA will install an enhanced LED overhead lighting system along the center median to improve visibility in the section.
Adkins on Tuesday was seeking guidance from the council and City Solicitor Guy Ayres on language in an ordinance that would convey the parcel to SHA while protecting the town’s interests as well. He said existing utilities on the parcel support the irrigation system for the landscaping in the existing median in that area as well as the landscaping along the frontage of Convention Center. In addition, there are tentative plans to erect a new sign for the Performing Arts Center in that area that could be affected by the transfer of the property to SHA.
“I ran it by the various department heads affected by this and the feedback I got was interesting,” Adkins said. “There is the irrigation system to consider, both for the median and for the frontage of the Convention Center. There are also plans for Performing Arts Center signage that could be affected. I still think this it’s a doable deal, but I just need some guidance on the language for the ordinance.”
Adkins said the potential transfer of the property to SHA was one of the last loose ends for the median fence project. Adkins said SHA intends to put the median fence project out to bid again in the next 60-90 days and a notice to proceed could come as soon as next October. Councilman Dennis Dare asked if the delay presented an opportunity to push forward with the planning for the second phase of median fence project from the Convention Center to 9th Street.
“Can we ask SHA to start planning for the next phase while the first phase is under development?” he said. “I think we need to push for that because we don’t want to get to a point where the first phase is done and there is a big gap between the next phase.”
Adkins said he had been working with SHA on expediting the planning and development of the subsequent phases of the median fence project. The intent is to continue to move south to 9th Street and ultimately head north from Route 90 to the Delaware line.
The council agreed to move forward with an ordinance that would convey the property at 41st Street to SHA to facilitate the median lighting project.
