SNOW HILL – While lauding plans for Route 90 improvements, county leaders stressed the importance of widening Route 589 at a meeting with state transportation officials this week.
The Worcester County Commissioners thanked Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) officials Tuesday for including funds for Route 90 planning in the annual Consolidated Transportation Plan. Commissioner Chip Bertino, however, reminded MDOT representatives that Route 589 continued to get more and more congested.
“We experience the backups, especially during the summertime and the weekends, and we’ve been hearing for years that something’s going to happen on 589 and nothing’s happening other than more congestion and more development,” Bertino said. “We just want to see progress.”
After a presentation from MDOT officials regarding projects planned throughout the state, Commissioner Joe Mitrecic thanked the agency for incorporating $500,000 in funding for planning regarding Route 90 improvements.
“I’m sure that I can speak for all the commissioners here and all the residents of Worcester County in saying it’s very good to see Route 90 and Route 589 at the top of this list,” he said. “It wasn’t even on the list the last time we met. It’s great to see that. Kudos go out to the governor for realizing that’s a necessary project for the county.”
Commissioner Jim Bunting pointed out that $500,000 wouldn’t accomplish much.
“Five hundred thousand is a long ways away from actually doing something,” he said.
Tim Smith, administrator of MDOT State Highway Administration (SHA), said that funding would be used for a concept study that could identify environmental and structural issues and consider traffic data.
“The bridge structure, it’s in good shape right now,” Smith said. “That’s not a concern. But as age goes it’s not going to get better. That’s why we need to assess where it’s at now, what type of solutions we want to come up with.”
Bunting said officials needed to remember that if they completely replaced the bridge, it would reduce the number of entrances to Ocean City during construction.
“That’s part of that concept study, to look at even during construction that we’re maintaining what we need from both a safety and a mobility standpoint,” Smith said.
Bunting said he was also concerned about Route 367 in the Bishopville area, as it was seeing a lot of traffic from Delaware. He said there were plans for 2,200 new homes in that section of Sussex County.
“We have traffic now backed up two, three miles on weekends,” he said. “Twenty-two hundred homes within a mile of Bishopville, they’re all going to cut though. That just puts a little more strain on 90.”
Smith said he would keep that on the radar.
“Our responsibility is kind of adapt and overcome,” he said.
Bertino said he kept hearing Route 589 linked to the Route 90 planning but said nothing in the MDOT plan addressed Route 589.
“We don’t want to necessarily just look at our routes in singular form,” Smith said. “It’s all part of a system.”
He said linking Route 589 to Route 90 also served as a placeholder.
Bertino said the road was facing significant issues, as it would be getting another stoplight and saw new construction all the time. A Royal Farms is set to be built on Route 589 near the Cathell Road intersection. He said the traffic issues in front of the Tidal Health facility near the north gate to Ocean Pines still hadn’t been eliminated.
“I know it’s on the radar but it doesn’t seem as if, with all due respect, that any funding will be allocated in any near future to correct the challenges that we all know exist on 589,” Bertino said. “Am I missing something? I don’t see any funding on this at all for working on 589, improving it, but what I do see is a lot more development and a heck of a lot more traffic that’s using that corridor. But nothing’s changed on 589. Is that correct?”
Smith said nothing had changed in terms of funding being available for Route 589. He added that Worcester County had oversight of proposed development plans for Route 589.
When asked if he knew when focus would be directed to the corridor, Smith said he did not.
“We hear 589 is part of this Route 90 (planning), which is wonderful, but really you’re not going to be doing anything to 589 any time soon?” Bertino said.
“Correct,” Smith replied.
Sen. Mary Beth Carozza thanked transportation officials for presenting the Consolidated Transportation Plan and encouraged them to take note of the feedback provided Tuesday.
“These commissioners know their districts well so I would ask you on their behalf to please take the details of this meeting and see if maybe we can use this meeting to keep moving forward on some of our local Worcester County priorities,” she said.
Del. Wayne Hartman echoed Bertino’s comments regarding Route 589, even sharing a photo of a recent backup. He said maybe it was time the idea of a roundabout was reconsidered.
“People may have had some experience with them now, it’s not as new of a concept,” he said.
Del. Charles Otto said he was excited to see Route 90 enter the planning phase but encouraged MDOT to remember other local issues, such as the Route 50 bridge and the airport in Salisbury.
“That’s very important to us. That keeps an international connection to all our assets in Worcester County,” he said.
