SALISBURY, Md. - Wicomico County officials are again asking the state to study the possibility of turning the U.S. Route 13 Bypass into a full loop around Salisbury.
The existing bypass runs from near Hebron, around Salisbury's east side, and ends just south of Fruitland. Completing the remaining section would create a continuous circle around the city.
The request has been a part of the county’s annual "Transportation Priority Letter" to the state for many years now.
County officials are also asking for a study of potential pedestrian and traffic improvements in the area near The Centre at Salisbury, where the bypass meets Route 13.
"I came here as a student, 45 years ago, and I felt very comfortable riding my bicycle,” Tory Widdowson said. “Not so much now."
Wicomico County Council member Josh Hastings says he thinks this ought have been done 10 years ago, but that the growth Salisbury has experienced in recent years makes it all the more pressing.
"Most major cities or even small cities, almost all of them have a circumferential highway. Right now we don't have a full circumferential highway,” Hastings said. “We have three-quarters of one.”
Hastings said completing the bypass could also help keep growth in the city and preserve more rural areas of the county.
"No one wants to have a highway in their backyard,” he said.
Even if the state agrees to fund a feasibility study, the findings could determine that completing the loop is not viable or require significant changes to the original concept. Wicomico County officials say that the state budget and other transportation priorities will factor into whether these studies are funded for the Salisbury Bypass.
