WASHINGTON — If you visited Ocean City this summer, you may have noticed temporary security barriers placed along the boardwalk that are meant to keep vehicles off.
The Worcester County town is working to improve safety for pedestrians on the boardwalk, following numerous instances worldwide of cars and trucks being used as weapons.
A plan to replace temporary barricades with permanent ones is moving forward, but some changes have been made to save the town money.
Town leaders got a surprise last month when they learned the estimated cost of the project was much higher than expected at more than $4 million.
But Ocean City Today reports that the city engineer found ways to trim the cost by more than $1 million.
For example, gates that will allow emergency vehicles to get access to the boardwalk will now be manually operated rather than automatic, and there will be fewer of them.
Also, the planned design of the security barriers at the Inlet Parking Lot has been altered.
Town council has approved the new trimmed-down plan, and Ocean City expects to have the new security systems in place in time for the start of next year’s peak season.
