Milford chronicle., 1941-11-07
Maryland Road Head
Explains Ferry Plans
Ccontinusa nom FIRST Fassl

The meeting started out with a
stormy blast when President CAL
vert Merriken of the chamber of
commerce said that it had been his
experience ito my chagrin, no mat
ter how meritorious a proposition
is, If it has to go through the State
Roads Commission, it's a, political
thing"
Whitman Denies Charge
Mr.. Whitman at once challenged
the statement, saying:
you speak of politics in the
State Roads Commission. That may
have been true in connection with
previous State Roads Commissions,
but our sole object is to give the
people of the state the best we can.
If there have been any politicians
in to see the commission or our
chief engineer, / haven't heard of
ii.
1--WE have done the best we could,
and now are about to make our
decision. 1t is not based on poll
tics or on pull; we are not trying
to favor somebody"
Mr.. Whitman then practically
took charge of the meeting by
pointing out that the possibilities
of the StevensvilleISandy Point
route had been studied thoroughly
by the Roads Commission and had
to be put aside for specific reasons.
To Run From Matapeake
Unless competent engineering ad-
vice to the contrary can be pro-
duced, he said, the commission will
operate the ferry from the present
terminus at Matapeake to a new
pier to be constructed south of
Sandy Point in sheltered cove.
The -Stevensville to north of
Sandy Point route is out of the
question, he said, because a channel
could not be maintained out from
Stevensville and ice packs render
the north of Sandy Point location
hazardous and possibly unfit for
vessel movement for prOtracted
periods 81
He pointed out that Sandy Point
and Kent Island form a bottleneck
conducive to the piling up of ice
foes after a hard freeze.
Those prepared to press for a
straight-of-way route from Sandy
Point to the Ritehie Highway were
advised by Mr.. Whitman that that
would necessitate construction of
two roads since a highway into
Annapolis and toward Washington
must be provided.
The road advocated by the groups
would have led straight from Sandy
Point to Jones Station on the Rit-
chic Highway, miles above Annap-
oils ON the way to Baltimore.
The route upon which the Roads
Commission. has decided runs in an
arc northward from Sandy Point
through the property of William
H. Labrot, skirting his farm build
ings, and then sweeps to the south,
reaching the Ritchie Highway at
Winchester, Just above the Severn
River bridge.
Through Valuable Property
Mr.. Whitman advised those who
thought the more direct route
should be taken that the highway
will run through extremely valu-
able property and that care had to
be taken to locate it with a mini
mum of cost. a-r
Construction Of two roads from
the terminal, he said would, require
expenditure Of perhaps another
S1,000,000. sa.
Mr.. Whitman told his audience
that the Roads Commission was
ready to listen only to objections
from an engineering standpoint. So
far as the continuation of the Mata-
peake terminal goes, he said, that
spot was selected by an engineer
who was paid $500 day for two
months of work in locating the
safest approach on the entire Kent
Island shore.
He said the new piers that will
be built will be so arranged that
two lines of traffic can leave or
board the ferries without delay.
This, he said, will make up many
minutes of the schedule.
The Matapeake-to-Sandy Point
route selected by the commission
will cut the distance to four and
three-tenth miles. The present
route is over eight miles.
By speeding up the boats slightly
and with the new system of hand
ling traffic over the shorter route,
Mr.. Whitman said, will enable the
commission to maintain a 30-min-
ute schedule by operating two boats
and in the summer season by add
ing a third boat, the schedule can
ha ont IN On ,,oiDnfaS