OCEAN CITY, MD -- Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) officials are looking for ways to make a stretch of Coastal Highway safer for pedestrians.
According to SHA officials, 47,000 vehicles a day, on average, drive between 15th Street and 67th Street. Within that area, officials said there were 686 reported crashes between those streets from 2018 to 2023.
SHA officials said some concerns they're looking to target include people crossing outside of crosswalks, obstructed sidewalks, and limited visibility on the road.
While nothing is set in stone, some ideas presented at a meeting about the project Monday night included adding more signage and road markings, expanding sidewalks, and finding ways to limit people crossing mid-block.
"Most people don't use crosswalks," Cornelius Appleton, who works at a restaurant along the highway, said. "I'm guilty of it from time to time. I've also lived here my whole life so I'm a little bit more aware but a lot of people they're in their head and they're just trying to make it to the beach."
Appleton said anything the SHA decides to do will be for the better.
"There's been a lot of accidents around here," Appleton said. "A lot of tourists don't really take it that seriously but a lot of people aren't paying attention when they're here driving either."
Erinson Pena Martinez works as a barber along Route 528. Martinez said the project is needed.
"People coming to walk from the ocean over to here need to be more careful," Martinez said. "There's a lot of traffic."
According to SHA officials, the initial design phase for the project is expected to be completed by this upcoming fall. Those interested in more information on the project can visit MDOT's website.
