Tom Warne Report, 1 June 2013
BALTIMORE, MD – Governor Martin O’Malley has announced the appointment of James T. “Jim” Smith, Jr. as Secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) at the site of a new $90 million project to widen I-695 (Baltimore Beltway) from US 40 to Frederick Road (MD 144) in Baltimore County. The Governor also named Robert L. Smith as the new Administrator for the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA).
The site of the governor’s announcement, along I-695 at the Frederick Road Interchange, is a project to replace the Frederick Road Bridge over the beltway. The $16 million new bridge also is being built to accommodate the future widening of I-695 under the bridge.
The new $90 million investment that supports 1,170 new jobs, will widen a one-mile section of the outer loop of I-695 from US 40 to Frederick Road. The project will add a fourth lane along this beltway section to join with the existing four-lane section beginning at Frederick Road. Work will enhance safety and reduce traffic congestion for a section of the Beltway that carries nearly 200,000 vehicles per day. Design work on this widening project is 65 percent complete, with construction scheduled to begin in spring 2015.
As Maryland Transportation Secretary, Smith will oversee the Transportation Infrastructure Investment Act of 2013’s $4.4 billion in new investments over the next six years and manage a 10,000-employee department. Smith also will serve as the Chairman of the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA), which is responsible for the state’s toll facilities, as well as for financing new revenue producing transportation projects. Smith will start as Transportation Secretary on June 10th.