When weekend traffic from the beach to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on US 50 continually stopped as cars waited to cross the western span, hundreds of drivers would detour to MD Route 18 to save 20 minutes.
But those cars caused new congestion on residential roadways that were unequipped to handle the influx of traffic, creating a nightmare for the Kent Island community that uses that state highway for everyday needs and emergencies.
To combat this problem, Queen Anne’s County worked with the Maryland State Highway Administration and Maryland Transportation Authority to initiate the ramp management pilot project.
By temporarily closing the most popular exit points along Route 50, they hoped to encourage drivers heading westbound to the Bay Bridge to stay on US 50/301 in order to reduce congestion on Route 18 and other adjacent local roadways. Thus they could enhance traffic flow and ensure the safety and mobility for local services.
Drivers continued to have access exiting 50/301 onto Routes 8 and 18 but did not have access to enter onto westbound US 50 at three locations from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
In this 7-minute video clip (courtesy of QAC-TV), QAC Commissioner Jim Moran discusses the early results of the experiment earlier this week.
