New Bridge Legislation

An article recently published on the front page of the Capital News covered Senator Ed Reilly’s current Bill #107 to amend legislation on the books (passed into law in 1979–40 years ago and 6 years after the completion of the 2nd span of the Bay Bridge). The 1979 law gives a majority (5/9) of the 9 named Eastern Shore Counties authority to reject any selection of one of their “affected counties” from being the landing site of a new toll road, toll highway or toll bridge to include a 3rd span of the our Bay Bridge.

One of the key alternatives to a new landing site is the current Broadneck corridor on the Rte #50/301 highway. This is currently under consideration through the 2016 NEPA -‘Alternatives Study’ which will lay the groundwork for the site options and selection of the 3rd span location in 2019-2020.

Through the leadership of our elected officials, the Broadneck Council (BCC) is fighting to even the playing field and have our County added to the 1979 law that will then give authority to our County Officials to reject/or accept AA County from being the launching site of a new span.

Our County is facing mounting year round east/west traffic coupled with the increasingly destructive summer weekend traffic (now Thursday through Saturday pm). The MdTA has been heavily lobbied by QA’s County and other Eastern Shore County Commissioners, to control the contra-flow traffic on the north bridge where the 3rd lane can be reversed to service east bound traffic during heavy traffic hours on all summer weekends. But due to the request by Kent Island residents, the MdTA has agreed to shut down the 3rd lane to E/B traffic on summer weekends – when all lanes of Rte #50/301 are stopped with 10 mile backups to Rte #97 west and past Arnold to the north- if there is more than a 2.5 mile backup on Kent Island!!

Because it takes 30 minutes to reverse the traffic flow on the 3rd lane of the north bridge back to east bound traffic, the MdTA now extends the times significantly that they have allocated to block east bound contraflow traffic in order to keep Kent Island free of traffic backups, to the detriment of keeping the Broadneck accessible. It is unacceptable to Broadneck residents who can’t reach/exit their homes as is the blocking of EMS vehicles from this route during heavy traffic periods. AA County is left with 10 mile backups while Kent Island is monitored and kept clean from traffic buildups when reaching over 2.5 miles in length. The time needed to reverse the 3rd lane back to contraflow traffic is also unacceptable.

Our Bill attempts to add AA County’s authority in the Code to match that legislated by Eastern Shore Counties for site rejection for the new 3rd span of the Bay Bridge–as well as other decision making authority related to new toll highway, roadway and/or bridge projects.

Please contact your Elected Officials and express your support of our legislation–Senate Bill # 107 and House Bill # 212 that will add and increase the authority of AA County in controlling traffic operations and the influencing the site selection of the 3rd span….under consideration for the Rte #50/301 corridor.

Please read the Bills on line:
(https://legiscan.com/MD/bill/SB107/2019)
(https://legiscan.com/MD/bill/HB212/2019)

THANKS TO ALL.
–Pat Lynch, President, BCC

District 33:
Reilly, Edward Senator
Bagnall, Heather Delegate
Malone, Michael Delegate
Saab, Sid Delegate

District 30/30A:
Elfreth, Sarah
Busch, Michael
Cain, Alice

AA County (cc):
Pittman, Steuart