Maryland Department of Transportation officials told Washington County leaders at a transportation priorities meeting that design work on the Interstate 81 widening is advancing and that construction for phase 2a is scheduled to begin in 2027, with phase 2b expected to start in 2028.

The project, which MDOT is advancing in phases, is central to county officials’ safety and congestion concerns along the 12‑mile stretch where 10 interchanges and about 30% truck traffic create frequent incidents. Washington County leaders said they want phases 3 and 4 moved forward sooner to address crashes, serious injuries and recurring bottlenecks.

MDOT officials described recent steps in the design process and explained why the project has been split into subphases. Maryland State Highway Administrator Will Pines said the department completed a semifinal design review and has been conducting required field work such as geotechnical borings. Pines said negotiations with CSX about stormwater‑management facilities at the north end of the corridor affected the overall plan and prompted the department to break the work into phases to keep the schedule moving: “Rather than delaying the entire project, we looked at how could we break this up into phases in order to be able to keep the overall schedule and allow for additional time to negotiate with CSX,” Pines said.

County officials emphasized safety data and local conditions in urging faster progress. Washington County representatives told MDOT the corridor’s spacing of interchanges, heavy truck volumes and recent incidents make the later phases a high priority. The county said phases 3 and 4 have scored relatively low in a statewide pilot scoring process, and county staff urged MDOT to ensure the scoring reflects the community’s safety record.

A county presentation cited the pilot scoring results: 48 projects were submitted statewide and Washington County’s I‑81 phases 3 and 4 ranked 37 out of 48. The county also noted the safety component score for the project was reported as 0.43 out of 24 points in the current pilot metrics. County officials asked MDOT to revisit inputs and to consider rural and freight impacts in future scoring revisions.

Pines warned that the CSX coordination affected project cost and design because stormwater previously planned for surface ponds may need underground structures along the corridor: “The project has a lot of complexities to it, and it takes time to work through those. We are moving actively on the project,” he said.

Commissioners also raised concerns about traffic management around construction work zones and urged stronger measures to protect motorists and workers during large projects on I‑70 and I‑81. MDOT said it is adjusting signing, planning pavement improvements, and using work‑zone speed safety cameras where practical, and that agency and county staff will continue operational coordination.

Discussion only: county leaders and MDOT staff exchanged data and priorities and pressed for more rapid progress on phases 3 and 4. Direction/assignment: MDOT staff described their next steps in design, coordination with CSX, and maintaining project schedules; they asked stakeholders to consult the project web page for updates. Formal action: no vote or ordinance was taken at the meeting; MDOT described planned construction start years and program changes but did not request a formal local action.

Background: I‑81 phase 1 was completed in 2020; the current work is being advanced in multiple phases to add capacity and safety features. County speakers emphasized that long interchange spacing and high truck percentages increase the corridor’s risk profile and that local agencies will continue to press for planning and engineering funding for later phases.

The county and MDOT agreed to continue technical coordination and to pursue updates to the pilot scoring inputs so the local safety data is reflected in prioritization.