Community Corner

Ocean City Still Awaits Recommendation on Causeway Gulls

A large number of herring gulls are dying in collisions with cars on the reconstructed Route 52 causeway to Ocean City.

Ocean City is still waiting for a recommendation from the state on a strategy for protecting the herring gulls that are dying by the dozen on the reconstructed Route 52 causeway.

Since the completion of the new elevated causeway in the spring, the gulls have perched on the railing on the north side of the four-lane highway — putting them on a collision course with the vehicles driving by at more than 40 mph. It remains unclear if some sort of wind or draft phenomenon contributes to the problem.

Ocean City Business Administrator Mike Dattilo reported to City Council on Aug. 10 that an environmental consultant, the state Department of Transportation and the State Department of Fish, Game and Wildlife have been studying both causes and solutions — and that the city expected the officials to report back within a few days.

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But on Tuesday, Dattilo said the city has yet to see a recommendation.

Dattilo said one potential solution could include the installation of spikes to prevent the gulls from perching on the railing. The state would bear the cost of any modification to the railings on the state highway.

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A six-year, $400 million project to reconstruct the Route 52 causeway between Ocean City and Somers Point is in the final stages. It is expected to be fully complete by the end of the year with the opening of a mid-causeway visitors center and a separate lane for bicycles and pedestrians.


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