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Planning commission reviews draft transportation chapter; members ask for more detail on levels of service and local corridor classifications
Summary
The commission reviewed Chapter 8 (Transportation), discussed mapping and classification of collectors, bicycle/pedestrian facilities, and requested more content on level-of-service standards and seasonal traffic effects; staff said updated maps and a revised draft will be returned next month.
Worcester County planning staff and consultants summarized the draft Transportation chapter and discussed outstanding questions about level-of-service (LOS) standards, collector-road classifications and seasonal traffic patterns during the Feb. 10, 2025 meeting.
The presenter said the chapter frames transportation goals to "provide for safe and efficient movement of people and goods" and pulls state guidance from the Maryland long-range transportation plan and the Maryland Statewide Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. Staff asked whether to add more discussion of LOS; one commissioner asked specifically why LOS-type discussion was not continued in the current draft. The presenter answered that LOS-level detail is typically handled in separate transportation planning products but agreed to build out an LOS section for the next iteration.
Attendees reviewed mapping and inventory items: traffic-volume tables (most recent 2020 and 2022 counts), sidewalk and trail inventories, and a list of county priorities submitted to MDOT's Consolidated Transportation Program. Commissioners and staff noted several factual edits for the draft: change the misprint "Corners Creek" to "Corkers Creek" on a US 113 safety-improvement bullet; broaden sidewalk language to "paved paths" because some permitted sidewalks use asphalt instead of concrete; and confirm the status of collector designations and recent projects in the SHA and CTP lists.
Several speakers emphasized the county—s seasonal population surge during the summer. As one commissioner said, "We're a very unusual county ... we go to a half million people in any given weekend." Staff and consultants noted that the county—s transportation planning must account for both year-round and peak seasonal demand and that some projects identified in the SHA inventory date to earlier planning cycles.
The chapter references planned and ongoing studies including Coastal Highway improvements in Ocean City, the Ocean Gateway Bridge repairs, and various corridor studies. Staff said transportation and land-use interactions will be emphasized once the land-use chapter is finalized.
Next steps: staff will correct typographical errors, expand the LOS discussion and update maps and project lists for the next meeting; Angela Fleck, who drafted the chapter, will coordinate those updates.
