Worcester Co. officials wait for answers as MDOT pauses work on Route 90 imrovements
WORCESTER COUNTY, Md. – Worcester County officials are facing worries as the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) announces a pause of several projects across the state.
“Locally for Worcester County, the big project that was underway and has been paused is the dualizing of Route 90,” said Worcester County Chief Administrative Officer Weston Young. “It’s been one of our top priority projects.”
Route 90 Rehab Sorely Needed
Route 90 is just one of three ways to enter Ocean City. Young says the roadway and its bridges have been a source of safety concerns for years.
“Besides the congestion concerns that we have, it’s an evacuation route and Ocean City has 300,000 or more people during peak summer,” Young said. “Worcester [County] is a bit unique. We have 50,000 residents but we have 8 million visitors every year.”
According to the most recent data from 2022, the Route 90 corridor sees about 31,500 vehicles heading to Ocean City every day. Route 50 paved the way for 34,000 drivers daily, while about 28,000 entered town through the north end.
“This is an important project, not just for us, but for all of the visitors that come, which includes citizens from across the state and elsewhere,” Young said.
State Faces $1.3B Transportation Funding Gap
Worcester County is not the only one receiving the bad news, though.
The state is currently facing a $1.3 billion gap in requested funding for transportation needs, and the money actually awarded. MDOT Secretary Paul Wiedefeld says that deficit is largely what’s driving the pause on many projects in the design phase.
“Our major funding source is [Maryland’s] motor fuel tax, and that has not hit projections,” said Secretary Wiedefeld. “We actually projected that it would grow at a slow rate, and that’s not occurring.”
Money Matters
Part of that problem, the Secretary says, is that consumers are choosing more fuel-efficient vehicles, or switching to electric altogether. Additionally, drivers are simply changing their habits around driving and gassing up, he added.
“We think all three of those are playing into that,” Secretary Wiedefeld said. “That has cost us almost $350 million, in effect, of anticipated revenues that are not coming in.”
Last year, Governor Wes Moore’s administration moved $150,000 from the state’s Rainy Day Fund into MDOT’s Transportation Trust Fund. However, Secretary Wiedefeld says much of that money was used to keep offices open and employees working.
“That’s the challenge, is how do we continue to meet those types of operating costs. And, operating costs continue to grow a little bit faster than our revenues,” Secretary Wiedefeld said. “The reality is that in this economy we have a lot of the pressures that families are under… Just like other families, we have to sort of live within our means.”
Sen. Carozza: Situation Indicative of Larger Budget Issues
State Senator Mary Beth Carozza, who represents Worcester County, said she was taken aback by MDOT’s announcement.
“This is our number one, top transportation project for safety and evacuation reasons. So, we are going to continue to press and find out what our options might be,” Sen. Carozza said. “We want to understand what we have available to us, rather than be told that our priority project is no longer on the list.”
Sen. Carozza says this setback is disappointing, given former Governor Larry Hogan’s 2022 announcement of $15 million for the Route 90 project. However, she also belives that these current issues are indicative of larger problems with how the state budgets its money.
“This upcoming session, we are going to have to hit the budget issues head-on,” Senator Carozza said. Federal COVID-19 funding is gone, and “At the same time, the Maryland General Assembly has been passing very expensive state mandates.”
Tackling a Tight Budget
The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future is one of those expensive initiatives, says Sen. Carozza. While she was encouraged by recent revisions, like extending timelines for roll-out and figuring out funding models, Sen. Carozza remains worried the plan will cost the state too much attention and available money.
Sen. Carozza added that the state should also reevaluate its fuel tax model. She says those conversations have already started in some circles, and will only become more crucial as the state moves towards electric vehicle mandates. In 2023, Gov. Moore announced a commitment to sell only electric passenger and light-duty vehicles by 2035.
“Now, all of a sudden, this is suddenly coming to reality when they start cutting priority transportation projects. At the same time, we’re facing these budget challenges in other areas,” Sen. Carozza said. “It also points to the need of not rushing these climate change mandates when our infrastructure is not even ready for it.”
Looking Ahead
Back in Worcester County, Young and others are still weighing options. A local match has been discussed, but it hasn’t been identified as a final solution, he says.
“We don’t have any of those numbers at this point,” Young said.
However, Young remains optimistic that state officials will see the importance of getting work on Route 90 back online. After all, the Draft Consolidated Transportation Plan for Fiscal Years 2025-2030 is not yet set in stone, he said.
On top of that, other important projects in Worcester County are still being funded.
$1,413,000 is being provided to replace a large culvert on Old Ocean City Boulevard over the Waleyville Branch. Additionally, a total of $18,043,000 is coming down for roadway safety and resurfacing improvements around Worcester County. Those projects are all currently under construction. Meanwhile, $109,000 has been provided for a feasibility study on a bike and pedestrian route along Stephen Decatur Highway.
Looking ahead on the Route 90 project, Young says it’s impossible to say at this point when that work may resume.
Young says MDOT officials will be on hand at an upcoming Worcester County Commissioners meeting to discuss the implications of this lack of funding. “That’s where we will have a lot of questions, and will try to get more detail about what is being funded,” he said.
