Page 8 The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch November 15, 2013 Italian Restaurant On The Ocean Wednesday & Thursday Dinner Specials (Not Valid On Thanksgiving) Adolfo’s ALSO 20% OFF MENU 113 Intersection Changes Sought By SHAWN J. SOPER NEWS EDITOR 1/2 PRICE SPECIAL MENU 8 Entrees To Choose From: 4 Seafood And 4 Chicken Entrees 3 Veal, 3 Steak And 2 Vegetarian Dishes Friday Date Night Wine & Dine For $54 Per Couple includes choice of beverage, appetizer, entree & dessert for two! Rhonda Apple & Dale Britt 6-10 p.m. Happy Hour In The Parlor Lounge Every Wednesday-Friday 4 p.m.-7 p.m. Bar Bites And Small Plates Menu Are Always Available In The Parlor! THANKSGIVING DINNER All-You-Can-Eat Buffet 1-7 p.m. $18.95 Call For Reservations This Year, Plan Your Holiday Party At Adolfo’s By The Ocean. Make Your New Year’s Reservations Early. Open Wednesday-Saturday at 5 p.m. Now Located At 13th Street And The Boardwalk Please Call For Reservations: 410-289-4001 BERLIN – Just days after a serious accident on Route 113 at Bay Street that claimed the life of one Berlin teen and left his brother with serious injuries, town officials and concerned citizens rallied during Tuesday’s Mayor and Council meeting with a concerted effort to affect major changes at the dangerous intersection. Last Friday evening, a Maryland State Police trooper in an unmarked patrol car struck two Berlin teenage brothers attempting to cross Route 113 near the intersection with Bay Street, claiming the life of one and sending the other to Shock Trauma in Baltimore where he continues to battle major injuries. While the investigation is ongoing, town officials and a groundswell of public support are already asking, even demanding, the State Highway Administration (SHA) make significant changes at the intersection and all along the dangerous stretch of Route 113. Before dozens of concerned residents could present their case at Tuesday’s meeting, however, town officials announced they were already taking proactive actions to present their case to SHA. Council Vice President Elroy Brittingham read to the assembled crowd an official statement on behalf of absent Mayor Gee Williams. “The town of Berlin will be making a formal request to the State Highway Administration to study the intersection of U.S. 113 and Bay Street to ask them to determine if either additional highway lighting or a pedestrian countdown signal and related markings are warranted as a result of Friday evening’s tragic accident,” the statement reads. “It will also include a request to see if additional lighting is warranted at the crossover on U.S. 113 just south of Bay Street that serves as the main entrance to Decatur Farm.” Route 113, a major north-south corridor, divides much of Berlin’s historic downtown area, shopping, medical facilities and schools from densely populated neighborhoods on the east side of town. As a result, the highway presents a major barrier to the town’s progressive efforts to encourage walking and biking for its citizens and visitors. Councilmember Lisa Hall said Friday’s tragic accident is a grim reminder of how far the town has to go on the initiative. “We talk about walkable-bikeable Berlin, yet we have a major highway going through the middle of town,” she said. “I don’t think State Highway wants pedestrians on this highway. Nothing has been done with foot traffic. I’m going to make it a priority to be heard. That’s a very dark stretch of road and it’s very concerning.” Hall suggested several shortand long-term solutions from pedestrian markings and countdown clocks to better lighting and possible speed limit reductions in the section of the highway that runs through town. “Simply reducing the speed limit to 40 mph from Boomer’s to the overpass at Route 50 near the hospital would be an immediate help,” she said. “We shouldn’t stop until something is done.” Brittingham said the town’s request for action from SHA would be a challenge, but vowed to continue to press the issues until the desired changes are affected. “We know how hard it is working with the state,” he said. “It took a long time to get just a blinking yellow light at Germantown Road. We’ll do everything we can to get something done.” Brittingham said SHA often responds to requests for changes after a pattern of serious and sometimes fatal accidents. He pointed to a recent battle in Snow Hill for a traffic signal at the intersection of Routes 113 and 12 as an example. “When you look at 113 in Snow Hill, it took a lot of lives lost before something got done,” he said. “I’m afraid to say it, but that’s how they determine these things.” When the public got their opportunity to voice their concerns and make their requests, de facto mouthpiece Patricia Dufendach took the lead. Dufendach, who has been outspoken about the need for change along the busy highway in the past, opened with a brief stateSEE NEXT PAGE