MDOT - Maryland Department of Transportation
09/25/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/25/2024 08:40
Maryland Department of Transportation Officials Visit Carroll County as Part of Statewide Transportation Tour
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Officials Outline Six-Year Draft Budget and provide Key Project Updates
HANOVER, MD (September 26, 2024) - Maryland Department of Transportation officials today visited Carroll County to discuss the Department's Draft Consolidated Transportation Program for Fiscal Years 2025 to 2030. The $18.9 billion, six-year spending plan invests in projects and programs that help advance Maryland's goals to be a safer, more affordable, more competitive and more sustainable State that leaves no one behind.
"We are making strategic investments to further enhance the safety of our system and maintain operations," said Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld. "This draft budget is balanced but we had to make tough decisions and reductions to live within our means. We will continue to follow the data and make investments that support Maryland families in a fiscally responsible manner."
The safety of all Marylanders is the top priority of the Department, and that is reflected in the Draft CTP, with projects that prioritize maintaining the current system and seek to reduce the number of fatalities and serious injuries on Maryland's roads. To view the full Draft FY 2025-2030 Consolidated Transportation Program, go to ctp.maryland.gov.
At Thursday's meeting, transportation officials offered details and updates on several projects and programs affecting Carroll County. Officials attending included Deputy Secretary Samantha Biddle; State Highway Administrator William Pines; Motor Vehicle Administration District Manage of Field Operations Paul Taylor; Maryland Transportation Authority Director of Planning and Program Development Melissa Williams; Maryland Transit Administration Director of Office of Local Transit Support Travis Johnston; and Maryland Aviation Administration Ashish Solanski.
State Highway Administrator Pines highlighted the agency's commitment to move forward with multimodal projects that improve safety, accessibility and mobility in Carroll County. He also noted that State Highway has worked in the past year to streamline its process to grant highway access permits, which supports commercial, industrial and residential development.
He said the agency is currently working on a project to upgrade drainage and install new sidewalks along Springfield Avenue between Main Street and Warfield Road in Sykesville. This $2.5 million project is expected to be completed by early 2025.
Among other important local investments in the Draft Consolidated Transportation Program:
- More than $1.5 million in operating and capital grants to support local transit operations in the county.
- Continued construction on the $14.6 million project to replace bridges on MD 91 over the Patapsco River and over the Maryland Midland Railroad in the Finksburg area. Work began this year and is expected to be completed in 2025.
-
A grant to advance the Town of Mount Airy's plan for a multi-use Rails-to-Trails project. The town will receive $600,000 from the Transportation Alternatives Program to design the trail crossing MD 27.
The meeting is part of the Maryland Department of Transportation's engagement process in all 23 Maryland counties and Baltimore City to discuss the funding plan and receive input from local officials and the public. The tour continues into October. Dates and locations for upcoming sessions can be found here. The schedule is subject to change and will be updated as needed throughout the process.
The six-year Draft CTP outlines capital investments in each mode funded by the Transportation Trust Fund: Maryland Aviation Administration, Maryland Port Administration, Maryland Transit Administration, Motor Vehicle Administration, State Highway Administration and The Secretary's Office, as well as Maryland's investment in the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. The Maryland Transportation Authority's toll facilities are financed, constructed, operated and maintained with toll revenues paid by customers using those facilities.
Following the tour, the Maryland Department of Transportation will finalize the Draft CTP and submit the Final Fiscal Year 2025-2030 CTP to the Legislature in January for consideration during the 2025 General Assembly session.