Transit to the Eastern Shore?

Transit

Transit to the Eastern Shore?

by Dave Murphy • March 10, 2009 12:34 pm

BeyondDC recommends a transit link, such as an express bus lane, over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to Ocean City. Like many other residents of the DC area, I would love to take the train to the shore, saving the trouble of driving and parking to enjoy a weekend on the beach. It would be even better to bring commuter rail (such as MARC) to the Eastern Shore if it were ever feasible to do so. Cities like Easton, Denton, Cambridge, and Salisbury could benefit from the commuting options. And of course, the resorts of Ocean City would benefit from a new demographic. If adding a new freeway span means also adding extra transit options across the Chesapeake Bay, the only drawback to such a project is the price tag.

The massive parking lot at the Ocean City Inlet. Photo by Istargazer.

To be fair, Ocean City owes its boom to the automobile. Vehicular connections across the Chesapeake from Annapolis in 1952 and Norfolk in 1964 opened the resort town to vacationers from several new metropolitan areas. Since then, rural bypasses and traffic control measures along US-50, locally known in Eastern Maryland as Ocean Gateway, have shortened the drive from the Bay Bridge to Ocean City to about two hours. That is, of course, unless there is traffic.

US-50 is one of the most important highways in the state of Maryland. But could a transit alternative become just as important? The usual arguments for transit also apply to commuters from Queen Anne's County crossing the bridge. They'd save time, money on gas, and more. But a transit link brings vacationers additional benefits.

First and foremost, transit would decrease DUIs. I could not find Wicomico County DUI statistics, because all my searches yielded only information on DUI legal assistance in Wicomico County. This fact alone is a little disconcerting. If fewer people are taking their cars to the shore, fewer people will get behind the wheel after a few drinks while at the shore. Additionally, it could provide Salisbury State University students with an alternative to driving, which could help Ocean City's bars and clubs in the off season.

Ocean City could also experience a renaissance architecturally. Currently, the planning for much of the city has evolved around the automobile. One defining characteristic of the town is its abundance of dingbats. In Suburban Nation, Smart Growth champions Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk define dingbats:

A dingbat is a type of small apartment building, popular throughout the Sun Belt, which sits on stilts over a parking lot—a direct outcome of the ubiquitous American on-site parking requirement. The construction of a single dingbat on a street of row houses is all that is necessary to bring down real estate value for the entire block.

Ocean City has scores of these. But instead of destroying property values, they are limiting the number of rooms a hotel or motel can offer by completely removing the first floor. As cars are the primary means of reaching the city, ample parking is a must. Ocean City is geographically located on a long spit. Therefore, parking structures located on the outskirts of town are not an option, as the "outskirts" are large bodies of water. If people could reach the city by transit, Ocean City could ultimately lower parking minimums, permitting higher quality construction and adding to the walkability of the city and the number of available rooms.

In Ocean City, 11 people have been killed (PDF) in pedestrian accidents since 1997. That is a remarkable statistic for a city of 3,500 people, even considering the amount of tourism the town attracts. This past summer, I witnessed a pedestrian getting struck by a vehicle on Coastal Highway. Fortunately, that individual did not become a statistic, but it was harrowing to see nonetheless. Fortunately, Ocean City acknowledges their long-time problem with pedestrian safety. Several of the city ordinances highlighted on the city's web page reference pedestrian safety. Fewer drivers and more pedestrian facilities resulting from transit access would undoubtedly improve on pedestrian safety.

A high speed transit link across the bay would also complement Ocean City's bus service, as well as similar services in the Delaware resort towns. Ocean City operates a bus service that runs across the entire city. The bus mitigates a great deal of car travel that might otherwise be necessary in a city that is basically a 9-mile line. Perhaps a family with young children might prefer avoid the bus. Taxi or car rental could be a cheaper alternative to driving to the beach. Even if that family chooses to drive, they would certainly benefit from fewer cars on the road when they are crossing Coastal Highway to get to the beach.

Many of the above improvements could be implemented on the Eastern Shore in stops along the way to the beaches. Cambridge is Maryland's second largest port. It is also a county seat, as are Easton, Salisbury, and Denton, which all lie on potential routes to the Atlantic shore. Salisbury is also home to Salisbury State University, the largest college on the Eastern Shore. A transit link could allow these cities to regain some of the original charm that these towns might have lost as US-50's strip malls overtook the landscape.

Naturally, all of this means that mass transit would need more than just a set of tracks or a busway to be entirely effective. But it would be an good investment for the entire state. Cities on the Eastern Shore would benefit, as would vacationers from Baltimore and Washington. It could start out as a bus service, but I would like to see something like a MARC train, crossing the Chesapeake Bay either on tracks constructed on a new span of the Bay Bridge, or a railroad ferry. A new train station near Ocean City's inlet could become even more iconic than the sign above the beginning of US-50.

35 comments

Tags: Eastern Shore, Maryland, transit

MTA and CSX explain lousy MARC Brunswick performance (Oct 25, 2010)
ACT creates Montgomery County transit vision (Feb 16, 2010)
The Purple and Red Lines will benefit all of Maryland (Feb 9, 2011)
On Tuesday, Montgomery Council can avoid "ICC 2.0" (Jul 16, 2009)
Maryland SHA pushing stupid growth on Connecticut Avenue (Jul 20, 2009)

Dave Murphy is a Geographic Analyst for the Department of Defense and a US Army veteran. He was born in Foggy Bottom and is a lifelong resident of the DC area.

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there's a fact that you've overlooked. building codes basically require a garage on the bottom floor of buildings built near the coast in the united states.

my parents live on a barrier island in southern georgia, and are within the coastal flood zone. any new construction on this island (which is probably very similar to ocean city in elevation, being about 10 feet above sea level) has to be built with what is basically a dead story on the first floor. no dwelling space is permitted on the ground floor, so that area can easily flood without damaging much of the structure if the storm surge from a hurricane were to come through.

since this first floor can't include bedrooms, kitchens, living rooms, and the like, it makes sense to turn it into a garage. especially in an area where there is no public transportation.

by IMGoph on Mar 9, 2009 10:40 pm

What's amazing is that this idea hasn't been built yet. Talk about a stimulus package.

by Thayer-D on Mar 10, 2009 12:44 pm

Ocean City does have transit, which is pretty well-used in the summer.

The building code issue is an interesting one. What can we learn from other resort cities? I'm not at the beach enough to know.

by BeyondDC on Mar 10, 2009 12:48 pm

What's the pricetag on a railroad bridge span across the Chesapeake cost? I'd imagine it'd be more expensive than just pushing a MARC straight line down from Perryville. And would this get much use outside the Summer months?

by monkeyrotica on Mar 10, 2009 1:16 pm

There's dingbats for the sake of parking (which is bad) and then there are dingbats in coastal areas for the sake of flooding (which is far more justifiable). Major hurricanes and storms come through these areas will significant frequency. These barrier islands and beaches routinely get washed over by storm surges - that's their role in nature's coastal defenses. Leaving aside the wisdom of such intense shoreline development in storm-prone areas for the moment, the coastal house on stilts is simply a reflection of the reality that the lower levels will likely be flooded several times over the lifespan of the structure.

by Alex B. on Mar 10, 2009 1:21 pm

That's a very interesting concept. However, how would all these small towns along the way survive without the speeding ticket revenue?

by Carmen on Mar 10, 2009 1:26 pm

If the transit is a bus why can't it have it's own ferry across the Bay? It wouldn't be stuck in traffic that way and it's a lot cheaper then a bridge.

by Bianchi on Mar 10, 2009 1:31 pm

You'd need zipcar or rental cars on the other end. There's lots to visit on the Eastern Shore besides OC. There are other beaches and there are the towns on the bay that could benefit from more tourism since the bay itself is badly overfished.

Is there a car/bike/passenger ferry across the Chesapeake? Transit to ferry could be an option too.

by Ward 1 Guy on Mar 10, 2009 1:45 pm

Throughout Michner's "Chesapeake" there's a character who fights and fights for rail to the Eastern Shore. It never happens (at least in the book. In the real world there are freight rail lines down the Eastern Shore).

I think a first and potentially hugely popular step would be to get rail to Annapolis. It's crazy that it's not already there, and perhaps the Annapolitans don't want it, but any rail to the Eastern Shore should go to Annapolis first.

by Reid on Mar 10, 2009 2:00 pm

Building anything across the Bay will be a many years' effort--even if it's a great idea and has support from all sides. But a ferry could be up and going in a year, which could bridge (sorry, pun intended) the decade until something else is built. I don't know anything about the business model of ferries, but I'm pretty sure they are subsidized. However, subsidizing ferries seems like a bargain compared to building a new bridge.

by Steve O on Mar 10, 2009 2:22 pm

The Cape May-Lewes DE ferry across the DE Bay seems to be packed all the time.

by Bianchi on Mar 10, 2009 2:29 pm

I lived in Annapolis for three years and commuted to the Eastern Shore. Another year I lived on the Eastern Shore. Those people want nothing to do with bringing more of our kind over there way. There are few greater fears than the Eastern Shore becoming even more of a suburb for Baltimore or Annapolis/DC. Good luck getting anyone out there to agree to a commuter train.

-rdhd

by rdhd on Mar 10, 2009 2:29 pm

From another thread, I brought up the possibility of a large schoolbus convoy as a means of accommodating the 500k average population who have migrated to the area from the DC-Baltimore Metro area at any given time over the summer. A fixed-rail, high-capital-investment transit system that gets used for three months a year isn't terribly worthwhile. Particularly in a barrier island environment when global warming is a concern.

Delmarva is not a brownfield. It's productive agricultural land, with the minimal development that is required therein, as well as a small amount of interstate-focused development and exurbanites.

And you'll notice that the apartment buildings aren't the only thing on stilts - so are the houses. Ever wonder why?

by Squalish on Mar 10, 2009 3:07 pm

The Ocean City-Delaware beaches to wherever (DC, Baltimore, Wilmington) seems like it would be best for a shared tram/train or inter-urban/streetcar service. That is, on the same tracks, interurbans go from Ocean City to DC, with perhaps a dozen stops, but also more frequent local streetcar or light rail service for travel within Ocean City.

I wonder if it could be financed with revenue from developing space that's currently parking lots.

by thm on Mar 10, 2009 4:01 pm

I've lived on both sides of the bridge and this would be a dream come true. You've made many wonderful points, but the red tape could keep it from gaining momentum. The O.C. hotel associating has a strong voice and could put forth some lobbying efforts. Gaining support from the towns in between that were mentioned would be certainly positive (particularly from Easton & Salisbury). And there are a great number of commuters who could benefit from such a proposal. Do you really think there's a shot at any of this ever coming to fruition and is it even on the radar for true decision makers?

by Jean P. on Mar 10, 2009 4:59 pm

Ocean City, MD is the densest resort city on the east coast, perhaps save for Atlantic City and maybe a few Jersey Shore towns. They have a great bus system that runs practically all night and costs $1. The parking at the boardwalk is expensive. They already do a pretty good job, especially below 12th street, of making a ped-friendly environment.

The three big problems are 1) uptown where it's uncomfortable to walk anywhere, 2) crossing Ocean Highway and 3) getting there by bus. The greyhound service to there is terrible and makes a bunch of stops on the Eastern Shore. Definitely an opening for a megabus-like company to pick up on something like the Hamptons Jitney on Long Island.

by mfs on Mar 10, 2009 5:25 pm

Squalish,

This wouldn't be exclusively a vacationer's train. It could operate extra on summer weekends to accommodate vacationers, yes, but there are also some of Maryland's more important cities along the way like Easton, Cambridge, and Salisbury.

My hope is not that the area would be treated like a brownfield. Quite the contrary. Eastern Maryland has seen a great deal of sprawl over the last few decades, and I would like to see transit stave that sprawl off somewhat. I hope that it might reinvest development in the cores of those towns.

Bianchi,

If a train were to be built, I would hope that it would fork through Denton and Georgetown, DE to Lewes. That ferry is always packed, and that would add another resort town (Cape May, NJ) to the list of places you could get by transit. Additionally, some bus or tram service up the coast between the two ends of the fork would make for good transit continuity, and allow people to visit the various beaches in one vacation without a car.

by Dave Murphy on Mar 10, 2009 5:31 pm

A train straight to the shore would be a great asset, but I would call the cost prohibitive. Billions would be a good start for the magnitude of a rail crossing of the Bay. I also doubt that Annapolis would go for a large bridge abutment in the middle of their city, which may mean a tunnel is the answer. Still, given traffic congestion and the propensity of college students to use transit, something on this line would generate lots of traffic. I would atleast like to see a serious, public feasibility study of this.

by Steve on Mar 10, 2009 5:58 pm

Steve, et al,

As mentioned in the previous thread about the Bay Bridge (which really should've popped up as one of the "related posts"), MTA has been in the process of studying the feasibility of adding another span at the Bay Bridge...something which should be seriously considered and outright built, given the maintenance issues, lack of capacity, and lack of safety shoulders on the existing Bay Bridge spans. And there's no reason why some sort of rail component couldn't be included on a new 3rd Bay Bridge span.

by Froggie on Mar 10, 2009 6:39 pm

If we ran a Metro line to the shore, could we call it the Tan Line?

(Thank you--I'm here all week! Don't forget to tip your waitress!)

by Had to ask on Mar 10, 2009 6:42 pm

It would be worth the expense, just to be able to say you're riding the tan line. Very funny.

Until then, there is at least one company with DC-to-Rehoboth bus service: http://www.rehobus.com/

by Michael on Mar 10, 2009 7:01 pm

did this post get re-posted? was there a big update? something seems different...

by IMGoph on Mar 10, 2009 7:56 pm

I'm not noticing anything different, Geoff...

by Froggie on Mar 10, 2009 8:38 pm

Ocean City is going to end up in the bottom of the ocean eventually anyway. Don't bother. Limited-stop busses, sure, the marketplace can address that.

I do see the potential for eventual improved north-south rail through Delaware though. Creeping south from Wilmington & Newark, maybe connecting Dover and all the towns along 13 down to Salisbury maybe. Thats still a bit ambitious.

A Greyhound route from DC that doesn't go to Baltimore first would be a big start. I'm from Sussex Cty DE, visit family there, and I'd use it. Rehobus is not practical because it doesn't go where I need to go, and going to Dupont first is out of my way.

by spookiness on Mar 10, 2009 8:52 pm

Pipe dream.

Most folk over here want little or nothing to do with the development that such a schema would bring. Hell, most folk over here want little or nothing to do with the development period.

As I said in another thread on this matter, if there was a market for transit service between points west of the bay bridge to the Atlantic Ocean resorts Grayhound and Trailway would be would be filling it.

Carmen,

The Maryland State Police writes all the tickets along MD US-50.

by Sand Box John on Mar 10, 2009 11:43 pm

Sand Box John makes an important point that many overlook.

If there was money to be made on a bus line from DC to the Eastern Shore, some firm would have picked it up. After all, haven't we all been hearing about how greedy companies have been recently? Wouldn't they want those profits if they were out there?

You can't argue that it's cost prohibitive for the private sector cause all you need is really investment in buses and training for drivers; the infrastructure is already there.

My guess is that this would wind up being a subsidy by the taxpayers for a select few who would choose to consume the service. I know this last sentence will get attacked, but that's the truth. Roads are also the same, a subsidy regardless of your opinion on it, but given that the majority of Americans drive, the subsidy can be far greater justified.

by MPC on Mar 11, 2009 1:52 am

There used to be a streetcar line that ran from downtown DC to Baltimore then Annapolis. The combination of the Great Depression and the construction of Defense Highway forced the company into bankruptcy. I think a streetcar down the middle of Route 50 connecting Annapolis and New Carrolton would do plenty of business. An Annapolis to OC line, not so much.

by monkeyrotica on Mar 11, 2009 7:56 am

>given that the majority of Americans drive, the subsidy can be far greater justified.

It's the other way around. More people drive because roads have been more heavily subsidized for decades. The subsidies roads get go far beyond a few dollars. In much of the country walkable neighborhoods are literally illegal, while spread-out accessible-only-by-car land use is mandated by zoning law.

by BeyondDC on Mar 11, 2009 9:51 am

Carmen,

You're thinking of Delaware towns. They're funded by ticket revenues. Not so for the Eastern Shore of Maryland municipalities.

In general, I think this is a fantastic idea. Anything to cut down on auto traffic to the Shore. That said, the absolute last thing we need is a way to increase sprawl on the Shore. Our farmland is a valuable (our most valuable) commodity and we don't need to grow more houses on it. That said, revitalization of the towns that are here is critical. Any infrastructural development should link existing major employment centers (Salisbury, Dover) to DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Naptown. Complementary policy shifts toward denser development and infill in Sby and Dover should accompany. Easton is doing just fine as a quaint little town and should remain that way. Cambridge is suffering and likely has little hope of vibrancy. That's really the whole story... link Philly, DC, Baltimore to Salisbury, Dover, and the beaches. Its the only viable map. And please, for heaven's sake... leave Denton alone. They are sprawl-hungry.

by Sby_architx on Mar 11, 2009 11:09 am

I am working on a job in one of the towns mentioned, and I have had the same idea. The points people made in the thread about ES anomosity wrt Baltimoreans and Washingtonians taking over is true. It's a big issue in the town I am working with.

But there should be a regional railroad network and it should include service to the Eastern Shore. I haven't done extensive research of the extant railroad lines but they appear to originate from Delaware.

But there should be rail from DC to Annapolis and it would be "easy" to extend it beyond that point.

I suggested that new Rep. Kratovil might be open to listening to the idea, but it's definitely not a priority issue with the city I am working with.

by Richard Layman on Mar 11, 2009 12:02 pm

Rehobus: An "entertainment company" providing $78 round-trip service and pinup calendars to the gay communities of Dupont Circle and Rehobeth Beach. It's a bit more 'niche' than I had in mind.

Greyhound's got half a dozen buses running daily trips to OC.

MPC: I believe that some amount of subsidy and some amount of promotion could create a demand that is currently latent for mass transit to the eastern shore. I believe that even fully subsidized it's likely to be much cheaper than the subsidies required for a third span for the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Just because a demand exists does not mean that it is automatically already supplied, or that it can easily expand incrementally.

Annapolis has a report out requesting a ferry system. Fast RORO ferries have developed a lot in the last decade or two, and a number of boats running a random-fare-check based system while underway could arguably be faster than a toll booth & 3rd bridge span.

The population of the ocean-side Eastern Shore is practically nil off-season. Either you want to encourage development of the DelMarVa as an outer suburb, or you don't. Increasing transportation (even if it's lightly-used rail) to the intermediate areas only allows them to house long-commute residents.

by Squalish on Mar 11, 2009 2:56 pm

That's the thing about mass transit. You tend to get residential and commerce development clustering around transit corridors.

Do we really want commuters riding in to DC from Wicomico County?

by monkeyrotica on Mar 12, 2009 9:30 am

I've lived in Cambridge since 1995. There was rail service (combined with steamship from Baltimore) between Love Pt. on Kent Island all the way to Ocean City. Starting with the great storm of 1933 that cut the inlet and destroyed the train bridge, the service gradually receded. New heavier equipment caused many of the bridges across the Choptank, Nanticoke and Wicomico rivers to be removed from service, leaving a dotted line with connections made by way or branch lines off of the main stem, which still operated down the spine of the Shore. These cuts occurred before WW2.

Much of the original right of way has been lost, or plowed over by farmers, so re-claiming this route would be prohibitively expensive. Let's also not forget the considerable NIMBY factor, which I'd like to point out is far more prevalent among the "Come Here's" than the natives. Most natives want to see growth, it's the chicken neckers who show up and want to keep us in a primitive, backward state so they can tramp around in their Volvos and marvel at how quaint everything is.

They would be the first to bellyache about a noisy train sullying their bazillion dollar water front view, and they could care less about the economic benefit to the town just beyond their estate, which odds are they've never set foot in.

Our rail system on the Shore desperately needs upgrading so it can better serve the agricultural community that provides the lion's share of the economic base. I don't see a market, nor a desire for any kind of passenger rail, whether it be local (not enough population to support it), tourism to O.C. (People won't be packing their coolers, web lawn chairs, beach blankets, luggage, beach umbrellas... etc. etc... for a 4 hour train ride... sorry) or even excursion service (we have some splendid scenery, but it's mostly in the marshes, where there are a million reasons NOT to build a railroad!)

If there are resources available to upgrade rail, it should be focused on freight service in support of our locally sustainable industries, such as logging, agriculture, and the commercial fisheries. Anything else would be a colossal waste of resources.

by Transplant on Mar 12, 2009 11:28 am

NJ Transit offers rail service to the Jersey Shore as far south as Bayhead. However, the reality is that very few daytrippers to the beaches use the trains. Rather, the train line long ago morphed into a commuter route and spurred more development along the North Jersey Coast.

Bus and train service to the Hamptons from New York is often crowded, but I think that service primarily serves NYC residents who own or rent homes in the Hamptons and either don't own cars or own one car and keep it at the beach house.

NJ Transit also offers train service from Philadelphia to Atlantic City. Amtrak began the service, then abandoned it and NJT took it over. Some daytrippers to the casinos do use the service as do some casino employees. However, rarely are people packing the blankets and coolers for a trip to the beach on the train (which would require a long walk or shuttle bus).

by tomo on Mar 12, 2009 6:42 pm

How about just a street car line in OC?

by Scott on Apr 21, 2010 9:41 am