Lots of people plan to head to down the ocean this summer, but often that means a long slog through traffic navigating the Eastern Shore.
If you get stuck in one of these slowdowns on Route 50, state transportation officials want you to ignore the detours your GPS is suggesting.
Such navigation apps and devices often lead drivers onto Romancoke Road or Route 18, which is Main Street in Grasonville. That's leading to even worse back ups on roads not designed for that much traffic, and it’s raising concerns with residents.
The Maryland Department of Transportation, State Highway Administration says the issue is particularly acute on Sunday afternoons as beachgoers head back home, causing gridlock in the small town. MDOT SHA is imploring drivers to stay on Route 50.
“It’s best to stay on the road that’s designed for those high traffic volumes. …. That’s Route 50,” said MDOT SHA Spokesman Charlie Gischlar. “ … Yes it’s going to be very busy; you cant get around that. You have an influx of people, hundreds of thousands of people, coming back from the shore and heading west, all at the same time generally. That’s why we say, ‘leave early, stay late.’ It’s best to stay there. It does break loose. The only reason it really backs up is some of the traffic signals at MD-213, 404 and over near the outlets. Once you get past there, generally you’re doing okay heading to that Bay Bridge.”
Gischlar asks drivers to look past the end of their dashboards, and while they may be frustrated with their current crawl down the highway, remember you’re just rolling through for a fun weekend, but others have to live in these suddenly congested streets.
“Stay on route 50,” Gischlar said. “Don’t gridlock the people in Queen Anne’s County.”
