MDOT presents $21.5 billion draft CTP; US 301–MD 405 corridor safety measures and town hall set

Samantha Biddle, acting secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation, told Queen Anne's County commissioners on Sept. 23 that the agency's draft six-year Consolidated Transportation Program (CTP) balances system preservation, safety and economic growth and reflects last year's new transportation revenues.

The draft CTP totals about $21.5 billion over six years, Biddle said, an increase of roughly $300 million over the prior final program, and the department estimates that the $400 million in state revenue secured last legislative session combines with federal resources and financing to total roughly $700 million in annual transportation funding. "Safety really is at the top of our list of priorities," State Highway Administrator Will Pines said, stressing attention to the US 301–MD 405 corridor, which has seen repeated crashes.

Pines said MDOT and the State Highway Administration (SHA) have developed a package of near-term safety improvements for the corridor and are planning a town hall on Oct. 20 in partnership with the county to discuss reopening the US 301/MD 405 intersection and corridor-wide measures. Proposed near-term items include enhanced enforcement, temporary speed-warning signage, rumble strips, mandatory headlight messaging, curb modifications at MD 405 to improve sight lines, and tree/brush clearing to restore sight lines. Pines said some measures are intended as interim, short-term treatments while more permanent capital solutions are identified and funded.

Biddle and Pines framed the corridor work as part of the draft CTP's emphasis on safety, preservation, and supporting commerce. The draft program also maintains highway user revenue funding at current levels through FY2027, continues work on the Bay Ridge eastbound redecking, and funds other system-preservation projects statewide, Biddle said.

Why it matters: the corridor contains commuter and regional traffic to the Bay Bridge and has been the site of recent severe crashes. Local officials pressed MDOT leaders for both interim measures that can be deployed quickly and for clarity about the path to a larger capital project. MDOT repeatedly framed near-term fixes as ways to reduce immediate risk while the agency and county coordinate on outreach and project scoping.

What comes next: MDOT and SHA plan public meetings and continued coordination with county staff; SHA will present the town-hall details and proposed near-term measures on Oct. 20. SHA leaders said they would follow up with the county on which specific safety features in the broader US 50 corridor projects may include automated detection or signal treatments that could apply to the intersection area.

"We understand the impacts of this closure to the local community," Pines said of the US 301/MD 405 work, "but we also must take action given the safety concerns at that intersection."

Ending: County officials said they will continue to press MDOT for both interim safety treatments and for clarity about funding and schedule for any larger redesign. The SHA town hall on Oct. 20 was scheduled as an opportunity for detailed public input and MDOT updates.