Elkton Transit Oriented Development Plan
Currently, along the nearly 460 miles of commuter rail lines between Richmond, Virginia and New London, Connecticut, there is one major gap: the 20 miles between Perryville, MD and Newark, DE. WILMAPCO, the regional transportation planning agency for Cecil County, has completed two feasibility studies which confirmed the need for rail service across Cecil County. The WILMAPCO Council passed a resolution in January 2006 urging the State of Maryland to pursue commuter rail service to Elkton. The MTA MARC Growth & Investment Plan recommends completion of a new Elkton Station by 2015 to allow for extension of commuter rail in Cecil County.
Rail service is a critical component of Elkton’s plans to further economic development and provide greater travel choices to this rapidly growing area. Currently, bus transit services exist in Elkton which could also serve this area and create connections with the proposed rail station: DART Route 65 provides weekday service between Elkton and Newark, DE and travels past the Amtrak Station on Bow Street; Cecil County Transit operates “THE BUS” within a block of the station area with service to Perryville and Glasgow. An intermodal transportation center, around the site of the Amtrak station on Bow Street in the Elkton Central Business District (CBD) would serve as a civic, commercial and institutional activity center and must be accessible via all modes of transportation, including bicycling, walking, and bus transit. Proper design of related facilities is needed to:
- Enhance community character in downtown Elkton
- Enhance regional accessibility, connectivity, and mobility
- Support Maryland Smart Growth policies
- Help improve regional ambient air quality through the reduction of vehicle travel and traffic congestion in downtown Elkton
Events and Materials
- Elkton TOD Plan: Approved January 13, 2011
- Public Workshop: April 20, 2010
- Draft conceptual graphics
- Advisory committee focus group.
- Public Visioning Workshop – October 29, 2009
- Elkton Fall Festival Project Display – September 19
- Scope of work
Other Elkton Planning
- Elkton Comprehensive Plan
- Walkable Community Workshop
- Cecil County Track A Feasibility Study
- Elkton Bicycle Plan
TOD Links
- Federal Transit Administration, TOD information https://www.transit.dot.gov/TOD
- Maryland Department of Transportation, TOD program https://www.mdot.maryland.gov/tso/pages/Index.aspx?PageId=37
- Reconnecting America: http://reconnectingamerica.org/arewethereyet/home.php
- Great Communities https://www.greatcommunities.org/
- Guide for Transit-Oriented Development https://metrocouncil.org/Communities/Planning/TOD.aspx
- Project for Public Spaces http://www.pps.org/transportation/
- Victoria Transport Policy Institute http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm45.htm
- Claymont Train Station Improvement Plan http://www.wilmapco.org/claymont
- Edgemoor Transit Oriented Development Analysis http://www.wilmapco.org/edgemoor
Contact Us
Contact us with your questions and comments:
Heather Dunigan, Principal Planner
WILMAPCO, 850 Library Ave, Suite 100, Newark, DE 19711
302.737.6205 or toll free from Cecil Co. 888.808.7088
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