Of all the economic development efforts being directed to mid- and lower Worcester County, nothing will be of greater benefit than the completion of Route 113’s expansion to a four-lane highway.
To be sure, making the county’s deadliest highway safer has always been the goal, and Gov. Larry Hogan’s announcement last Friday that funding has been approved for the final phase of the project especially resonated with people such as Bob Hulbard, who led the decades-long campaign to do just that.
But there are other benefits of having a four-lane connection between the coast to Snow Hill and down to Pocomoke. One of them is that it eliminates the fear factor that caused motorists from the northern end of the county to avoid traveling south on Route 113 unless it was necessary.
Secondly, the 23-mile drive from Ocean City to Snow Hill will no longer involve the frequent frustration of being caught behind a slow-moving vehicle and having an extra 10 minutes added to the travel time.
The completion of the highway project also will make for an easy commute for northern Worcester County workers and business people looking for more housing options beyond what the visitor-driven real estate market offers.
In addition, Snow Hill’s effort to reinvigorate itself after the fashion of Berlin is dependent on an increased flow of visitors, customers and residents, and nothing will encourage this to happen more than a hassle-free way of getting there.
While the project always has been about saving lives, this creation of a freer-flowing lifeline to more populous areas will bring other positive changes as well.
To be sure, making the county’s deadliest highway safer has always been the goal, and Gov. Larry Hogan’s announcement last Friday that funding has been approved for the final phase of the project especially resonated with people such as Bob Hulbard, who led the decades-long campaign to do just that.
But there are other benefits of having a four-lane connection between the coast to Snow Hill and down to Pocomoke. One of them is that it eliminates the fear factor that caused motorists from the northern end of the county to avoid traveling south on Route 113 unless it was necessary.
Secondly, the 23-mile drive from Ocean City to Snow Hill will no longer involve the frequent frustration of being caught behind a slow-moving vehicle and having an extra 10 minutes added to the travel time.
The completion of the highway project also will make for an easy commute for northern Worcester County workers and business people looking for more housing options beyond what the visitor-driven real estate market offers.
In addition, Snow Hill’s effort to reinvigorate itself after the fashion of Berlin is dependent on an increased flow of visitors, customers and residents, and nothing will encourage this to happen more than a hassle-free way of getting there.
While the project always has been about saving lives, this creation of a freer-flowing lifeline to more populous areas will bring other positive changes as well.