December 28, 2006 by webmaster.

I finally had the opportunity to drive the new dualized section of US 113 around Snow Hill last week.  The new lanes area nice drive… though there’s still a bit of finishing work to do.

Also… I suppose to make the highway more “expressway” like, crossover intersections at Brick Kiln Road and Castle Hill Road have been closed off.  That’s really going to upset some of the locals… but it’s safer for the mass majority.

They also has the foresight to put a stub at the northern end of the bypass… to be used whenever the funding is available for the next phase of US 113 dualization.

IMO… Maryland has really dropped the ball when it comes to US 113.  Delaware has had US 113 entirely dualized for years now… and only recently has Maryland started upgrading the highway (with the exceptions of the Berlin bypass and from Pocomoke to Snow Hill… which was upgraded in the 70s).  Traffic counts are steadily increasing… and population influx into Worcester County is skyrocketing.  Maryland needs to step up and get this highway finished… instead of just putting rumble strips along the center line of the highway and having mandatory “headlights on” zones… which are never enforced.

Come on Maryland… get with the program.  Spend some money on highway upgrades somewhere other than the Baltimore/DC metro area.  We can use a little bit of that transportation money over here on the Eastern Shore also, you know?

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December 20, 2006 by webmaster.

Yesterday, the newly expanded 4-lane US 113 bypass of Snow Hill opened to traffic.  I’ve been fighting a nasty case of the crud the past couple of days, and haven’t had a chance to check it out.  However… when I was last there Sunday morning… it looked almost complete.

It looks like the new 4-lane highway will not have any traffic signals… however intersections with MD 12 and MD 365 will continue to have flashing yellow lights.  Also… a new truck weigh station will be constructed at the southern end of the bypass, where US 113 and BUS US 113 meet.

I do, however, happen to have one particular gripe about the project.  It look like MD-SHA has outsourced their sign making.  Most of the signage on the highway doesn’t follow MD-SHA’s normal sign designs.  Fonts are smaller… as well as the actual footprints of the signs.  Also… the US 113 markers themselves are of inconsistent designs.  Some use a full shield on a black background… others use cutouts of the shields with no background.  Bad signing… to me… just looks unprofessional.

However… I digress.  I will have the opportunity of driving the new 4-lane US 113 Sunday morning as I leave work, and will then share with you my thoughts on the project, as well as, give more details on construction.

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December 20, 2006 by webmaster.

If you’re reading this… you’re in the right place.

After having some issues with the Google Blogger I was using to host the Delmarva Highways blog, I decided to move to one that is hosted through my website provider.  It gives me greater flexibility as far as content and design, and will make it easier for you to comment on my posts.

As always… thanks for visiting the website.  And… thanks for checking out the new blog!

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