Page 4 The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch November 15, 2013 OC:Route 90 Higher Priority Than 50 Bridge By JOANNE SHRINER STAFF WRITER OCEAN CITY – During an update with the State Highway Administration this week, resort officials asked for consideration in prioritizing the dualization of Route 90 ahead of the reconstruction of the Route 50 Bridge. Tuesday afternoon marked the bi-annual meeting between the Town of Ocean City and the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) where SHA District Engineer Donnie Drewer and Assistant District Engineer Ken Cimino discussed the Route 90 and Route 50 bridges along with other maintenance and repairs on Coastal Highway. Drewer began with the Route 90 bridge and the town’s request to dualize the secondary entrance into Ocean City to help alleviate traffic. “I know you had sent a letter to the administrator referencing dualizing the Route 90 Bridge. Where that is in the hierarchy I really am not sure, but I do know that in order for it to get more attention it needs to be included in the Worcester County priority letter,” he said. “Right now Route 113 is their [Worcester County Commissioners’] first priority, Route 589 is their second priority and Route 50 Bridge is their third priority. So what you need to do is get Route 90 in that pecking order.” Mayor Rick Meehan asserted he had submitted a letter to Worcester County prioritizing the dualization of the Route 90 bridge prior to reconstruction of the Route 50 bridge on behalf of Ocean City, and the letter was included in the County Commissioners’ Nov. 5 agenda packet when the commissioners had a discussion with SHA over the Annual Consolidated Transportation Program. The letter dated June 18, 2013, states, “This letter, and supporting documentation, is offered in an effort to highlight a concern of Ocean City relative to long-range planning and the effects the replacement of the US50 bridge will have on overall accessibility to Ocean City. Based on recent Studies and Alternative Analysis, the eventual replacement of the US50 bridge has the potential (and reality) of causing severe traffic congestion issues, for multiple summer seasons, for those who chose to visit Ocean City as their vacation destination.” The letter furthers, “It is with this stated that we truly feel it far more prudent to compete the dualization of the entire MD90 corridor, from US50 to MD528 (Coastal Highway), prior to replacement of the US50 bridge. With the right of way already SEE PAGE 38