MD State Highway Administration Conducting Survey & Virtual Public Meeting on MD 90 Improvement Project
The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) is conducting a survey and will host a virtual public meeting Tuesday, June 21, as part of its ongoing planning study for potential improvements along MD 90 between US 50 (Ocean Gateway) and MD 528 (Coastal Highway) in Worcester County. As part of the $850,000 Planning and Environmental Linkage (PEL) study, the MDOT SHA survey will help identify needs, concerns and priorities for potential improvements.
The public is invited to participate in the virtual public meeting, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 21. At the meeting, MDOT SHA will familiarize participants with the project and answer project-related questions. A link to join the meeting is available on the project portal page here.
“Along with environmental and safety assessment, collaboration with stakeholders is vital to the decision-making process,” said MDOT SHA Administrator Tim Smith. “We’ll be working with elected officials and the public and encourage them to visit the project portal page, take the online survey, participate in a meeting or contact us if they want to meet with the project team.”
In August 2021, Governor Larry Hogan announced funding for the study’s project planning phase, noting the important role of MD 90 in providing access, economic opportunity and emergency response capabilities. Improvements to the MD 90 corridor have been identified by Worcester County and Ocean City as their top transportation priority. Information about the project, and the online survey is available here.
MD 90 between US 50 and MD 528 is generally a two-lane freeway with a posted speed limit of 55 mph. Motorists currently experience traffic congestion along both eastbound and westbound MD 90. Along eastbound MD 90, traffic queues approaching the MD 528 intersection during the summer season typically extend nearly six miles to MD 589 on Fridays and more than 7.5 miles to US 113 on Saturdays. Both MD 90 and US 50 are primary evacuation routes to leave the Ocean City and Assateague areas during a severe weather event or emergency. MD 90 also is a designated hurricane evacuation route out of Ocean City.
“Accessibility and safety along the MD 90 corridor is vital to the local community and the entire Eastern Shore region,” said MDOT Secretary James F. Ports, Jr. “Working with local officials, residents and our state and federal partners, the MD 90 planning study will help us evaluate the greatest needs and recommend ways to address them.”
Through the MD 90 PEL study, MDOT SHA will identify needs related to traffic operations, capacity, safety, economic development, pedestrian and bicyclist accessibility and emergency evacuations. MDOT SHA will conduct the study with input from the public and in collaboration with the local jurisdictions and environmental agency stakeholders.
The PEL approach considers environmental, community and economic needs in the planning phase. The process will help MDOT SHA and the Federal Highway Administration identify the greatest needs, promote environmental stewardship and reduce delays in getting improvements completed.
MDOT SHA will assess needs identified in the PEL study and summarize the analyses and recommendations in a report. Results will be used to inform the environmental review process for future potential projects within the corridor. If funding becomes available, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process would begin.
For a list of all major MDOT SHA projects, go to Project Portal. Visit our homepage at roads.maryland.gov. For a look at real-time traffic conditions, go to md511.maryland.gov.Â
