For Immediate Release
Contact: State Highway Administration Office of Communications – 410-545-0303
SHAmedia@mdot.maryland.gov
STATE HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION BEGINS US 50/301 RAMP MANAGEMENT PILOT ON EASTERN SHORE
Weekend Westbound US 50/301 On-Ramp Restrictions on Kent Island Begin September 16; Drivers Heading to Bay Bridge Urged to Stay on US 50/301
(September 12, 2023) – The Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA), in cooperation with Queen Anne’s County, is implementing a US 50/301 (Blue Star Memorial Highway) ramp management pilot project on the Eastern Shore to encourage drivers heading westbound to the Bay Bridge to stay on US 50/301 and keep MD 18 (Main Street) open for emergency responders and local residents.
Beginning Saturday, September 16, and continuing each Saturday and Sunday for three consecutive weekends, the State Highway Administration and Queen Anne’s County will restrict access onto westbound US 50/301 at three locations:
- Service road/Shopping Center Road between Exit 39A (Castle Marina Road) and Exit 38 (Duke Street);
- Duke Street (Exit 38) and
- MD 8 (Business Parkway/Romancoke Road, Exit 37).
Drivers will continue to have access exiting US 50/301 onto MD 8 and MD 18 but will not have access to enter onto westbound US 50 at these locations from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, September 16, 17, 23, 24, 30 and October 1. Detour signs will direct motorists to
MD 18 east to Castle Marina Road south to westbound US 50.
“While this pilot will not fix the longstanding congestion around the Bay Bridge, we anticipate it will provide some relief for residents and businesses on Kent Island during peak weekend travel periods,” explains State Highway Administration Administrator Will Pines. “We are partnering with Queen Anne’s County to help reduce local road congestion by routing MD 18 traffic on Kent Island back to US 50/301 at one location. Drivers headed west to the Bay Bridge on weekends can help themselves while helping local residents and emergency responders by staying on US 50.”
The agency has had success with a similar pilot on the western shore and is collecting and evaluating data from both efforts. Both pilots will ensure that local business access is maintained. Overhead and portable message signs along US 50/301 will alert motorists to the access changes. Travelers are urged to plan ahead – check live traffic conditions before you go with our traffic cameras and advisories at chart.maryland.gov. Information about the US 50/301 ramp management pilot on Kent Island can be found on the web by clicking here
SHA welcomes public input on the ramp management pilot via email at SHAInput@mdot.maryland.gov, or by calling the District 2 office at 800-637-9740.
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