Maryland DOT Capital Budget Draft Considers Freight
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Freight movement is a priority outlined in the Maryland Department of Transportation’s recently released draft of its six-year capital budget.
The Draft Fiscal Year 2022-27 Maryland Consolidated Transportation Program details MDOT’s use of $16.4 billion, including investments in business units that are financed by the Transportation Trust Fund. They include the Motor Vehicle Administration, the State Highway Administration, the Maryland Aviation Administration, the Maryland Port Administration, the Maryland Transit Administration and the Secretary’s Office.
More than half of the $16.4 billion is dedicated to preserving aging infrastructure and bringing Maryland’s network of roads, bridges, rail and port facilities into states of good repair.
FY22 FY27 CTP Full Draft Re... by Transport Topics
“We crafted this budget to invest in preserving our aging infrastructure, delivering projects to support Maryland’s economic recovery and creating a shelf of projects for the next generation,” said Transportation Secretary Gregory Slater. “This approach to infrastructure investment allows us to maintain a state of good repair and be ready to quickly move projects into construction with any new federal transportation funding.”
Major projects, including the American Legion Bridge and the Howard Street Tunnel, are expected to move forward with funding outlined in the draft program. These projects have impacts on freight moved by truck and rail.
The American Legion Bridge carries Interstate 495 — known as the Capital Beltway — over the Potomac River between Montgomery County and Fairfax County, Va., and serves as a major artery for truckers moving through the Washington area. MDOT’s plans include constructing a new American Legion Bridge and adding two high-occupancy toll lanes that would run across the bridge.
The Howard Street Tunnel is a freight train route in Baltimore that currently has height restrictions for rail cars. The project will raise the vertical clearance of the tunnel, allowing trains to double-stack shipping containers.
A CSX Transportation train emerges from the Howard Street Tunnel in Baltimore. (Patrick Semansky/AP)
Another aspect of the Consolidated Transportation Program is future projects. Those projects include dredge replacement to accommodate massive ships at the Port of Baltimore and improvements to various routes in several counties. MDOT’s Port Administration states key commodities handled at the Port of Baltimore include autos, containers and forest products.
A project to relocate U.S. Route 219 around the town of Oakland is listed on hold in the draft. Oakland is in western Maryland, about seven miles from the West Virginia border. The goal of the project is to divert the through traffic, including trucks, away from downtown Oakland in an effort to improve safety and operations.
As in many states, travel levels in Maryland dropped during the early period of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, recent MDOT data indicates traffic volumes have reached and in some cases surpassed pre-pandemic levels. According to the agency, statewide truck volumes during the second week of August were up 8.2% compared to the same period in 2019.
Between Sept. 20 and Nov. 10, MDOT will hold meetings with each of the state’s 23 counties and the city of Baltimore to discuss the draft with local officials and members of the public. It will be up to the local jurisdictions to determine if the meetings will be in person, virtual or some combination of both.
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