Ocean City: Coastal Highway pedestrian fence project will be worth it for safety

Reed Shelton
The Daily Times
The Maryland State Highway Administration prepares the medians in Ocean City to start construction on the dune-style median fence project for Coastal Highway on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017.

Construction has officially begun on a Coastal Highway median project in Ocean City designed to improve pedestrian safety in the busy resort town.

The undertaking has drawn approval and condemnation alike from local officials and residents.

Although some locals have expressed reservations about the project, which is slated for completion before the summer of 2018, town officials are optimistic the median fence and related work will usher in safer pedestrian conditions along a dangerous stretch of the highway.

“It’s exciting to see construction on the new median fence along Coastal Highway,” Mayor Rick Meehan said in a release. “We know the first phase of the project, including the removal of trees in the median, will look alarming but the addition of overhead lighting and ornamental fencing will be a true enhancement to safety for both drivers and pedestrians.”

The Maryland State Highway Administration prepares to start construction on a dune-style median fence project for Coastal Highway in Ocean City on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017.

On Nov. 7, the Maryland State Highway Association began destruction of the existing median to make room for light pole foundations, fence pole foundations and conduit runs. Following that destruction, installation of overhead LED lighting, new landscaping and fencing will begin.

The 2.7-mile, $7 million project will include: 

  • Lengthening the median left turn lane on Route 528 North at 52nd Street
  • Median fence installation between 62nd Street and Convention Center Drive
  • Median roadway lighting installation between 62nd Street and Convention Center Drive
  • Installation of signage and pavement markings
  • Landscaping
  • Grinding and paving of existing roadway from 26th Street to 62nd Street

The beginning of the Ocean City project comes on the heels of the completion of Salisbury's own median fence project along business Route 50 from Ward Street to East Main Street behind Wicomico Middle School.

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The decision for fencing to extend along that specific stretch of the highway was made by studying pedestrian collisions during the past several years, according to Ocean City Spokeswoman Jessica Waters.

“That’s a prime area for accidents; a high-traffic area where we see most of our collisions,” she said.

But there are a few who aren't as enthusiastic about the town's decision to move forward with the project.

Bonnie Stone, a 30-year town resident, said the town wasn't considering the whole picture and that she could think of "thousands" of situations where a fence would do more harm than good.

"You have emergency situations where (responders) need to quickly cross the road, people on their phones getting caught in the middle or people having to rush across the street during tornadoes or other disasters," she said. "That's off the top of my head, and I really feel like the town didn't think this all the way through."

Simpler solutions, she said, would be better. Lowering the speed limit in problem areas and installing more pedestrian-warning signs sprang to her mind. But ultimately, she feels the fence is a solution to a small problem.

"When you consider the amount of people and traffic down here, I think we actually have a really small number of accidents and deaths," she said.

The Maryland State Highway Administration prepares to start construction on a dune-style median fence project for Coastal Highway in Ocean City on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017.

Two pedestrian deaths have occurred on the highway in 2017.

In May, a 23-year-old Pennsylvania man was hit and killed outside a crosswalk on Coastal Highway near 45th Street by a driver operating his vehicle under the influence.

In October, a 57-year-old Ocean City man was struck and killed by a marked state trooper’s vehicle after darting onto the highway near 76th Street.

In previous years, the resort town had three pedestrian fatalities from 2011 through 2016, with two recorded in 2012 and one last year, according to an annual report produced by the Ocean City Police Department. The three deaths were out of 155 pedestrian collisions in that same time period.

Although she is unsure why the stretch slated for fencing is particularly prone to such collisions, Waters said the presence of several popular bars — such as Seacrets and Dead Freddies — as well as numerous hotels and condominiums, are likely the major contributing factors.

“When we had to prioritize where to place fencing, that was the obvious place to start,” she said.

The complete “gutting” of the median, although a temporary eyesore, is necessary to make room for the upcoming conduit and lighting, she said, and their installation requires the entire median to be displaced.

The town's hope, Waters said, is for the fence to eventually span the length of Coastal Highway.

“I think the end project will make it totally worth it,” she said. “It’ll enhance the safety, which is the primary part, but the visual appeal will really show itself to people once the project is completed.”

Contact Reed Shelton at rshelton@delmarvanow.com, 302-344-1510 or @ReedAShelton