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MDOT pushes Pedestrian Safety Action Plan projects and predictive data to speed interventions

Montgomery County State Delegation · October 28, 2025

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Summary

State Highway Administration officials said they are accelerating Pedestrian Safety Action Plan (PSAP) projects and shifting toward predictive analytics to identify high‑risk locations. Delegates and county leaders pressed for quicker delivery in corridors with multiple pedestrian fatalities and for coordination on quick‑build countermeasures.

State Highway Administrator Will Pines and district engineers told the delegation that the department has a pipeline of Pedestrian Safety Action Plan (PSAP) projects and is prioritizing quick‑build countermeasures to expedite safety improvements.

Pines said the first PSAP project in Montgomery County (MD 650, University Boulevard to Powder Mill Road) is underway and that the department is using data, including predictive analytics (hard‑braking and turning behavior), to identify locations where vehicle behaviors suggest elevated crash risk before a longer crash history develops. “We're really focused… on delivering projects faster,” Pines said.

Delegation members and county staff recounted a deadly summer and fall in which many fatalities occurred on state roads in the county. County Director Chris Conklin noted that state roads make up about 12% of county mileage but accounted for a disproportionate share of recent fatalities; he urged faster short‑term fixes as well as longer‑term strategic changes.

SHA staff detailed near‑term projects and public meetings (for example, a November 5 public meeting on a University Boulevard PSAP concept from Georgia Avenue to US‑29) and said lighting, resurfacing and brush management are being coordinated with county parks and maintenance teams.

What happens next: MDOT said it will announce a next round of PSAP corridors (round 3) pending internal review; county and SHA staff will follow up on specific crash hotspots and expedite quick‑build solutions where feasible.