CENTREVILLE — The first full weekend of the Route 50/301 ramp management pilot saw success over Memorial Day weekend, according to Commissioner Jim Moran.
Although May 27 saw a 16 mile backup on Route 50, and 301 was backed up to 213, ramp closures to Route 8 in effect over Memorial Day weekend brought no backroad traffic, Moran said.
“For this big holiday weekend, it’s working,” he said.
Following a Memorial Day flag raising in Wells Cove, Moran said he left his home off Bennett Point Road and drove to see how accessible Route 18 would be on May 27.
Moran said he traveled by Nesbit Road and all the way to Winchester Creek with few vehicles and no backups.
Moran said other than the drawbridge up at Kent Narrows, “It was smooth sailing until I got to Dominion with the red light.”
Expecting a nail biting chokepoint at the Castle Marina roundabout, Moran observed the area was nearly empty, he said.
Moran completed his pass at Duke Street in Stevensville and all in all, claimed he was met with a relatively average travel time to get to Route 8 on the holiday Monday.
“I hope it continues to work, it is a huge relief for the citizens,” he said.
According to estimates from a Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s Deputy on duty observing traffic that day, vehicles were averaging about 30 to 35 miles per hour westbound on Route 50, Moran stated.
“With that kind of backup, we had no logjams at all at Castle Marina,” he said.
Moran noted while some traveling to Annapolis might see added trip time, those living in areas such as Queenstown, Grasonville, and Chester, “That would normally take an hour to get to Safeway, now can go out on weekends and try it.”
Although not knowing what future weekends will hold, Moran was optimistic about the potential of the pilot program and asked for community patience as the study moved along.
“This is not a long, long term fix but we are going to ride this as far as we can to keep people from being locked into their homes,” Moran said.
The new pilot program is aimed at enhancing traffic flow and ensuring the safety and mobility for local services by reducing congestion on MD Route 18 and other adjacent local roadways.
With the state’s help in the ramp closings, the county found the GPS navigation apps that were previously directing motorists off the ramps in an effort to save time are now recognizing the closings and keeping them on Route 50, Moran said.
The Commissioners also noted Coordinated Highways Action Response Team (CHART) cameras courtesy of the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the Maryland Transportation Authority are available online to identify traffic along the Bay Bridge and Route 50.
To stay updated on the latest developments and receive timely announcements regarding the temporary entrance ramp closures, residents are encouraged to follow Queen Anne’s County Government on social media @QACGOV and visit the official website at www.qac.org.
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