AASHTO Journal, 23 August 2013
Maryland state officials announced last week that coastal communities in the state will be receiving nearly $160 million to make investments in various transportation infrastructure projects, including funding for a new interchange, a bridge replacement, highway widening, and roundabout construction.
MDOT officials and Gov. Martin O’Malley, who announced the funding, said the five projects will create close to 1,900 jobs, help to relieve congestion in the Eastern Shore area (which includes nine counties along the Chesapeake and the Atlantic Ocean), and improve safety for state citizens and visitors.
“Maryland is delivering for the Eastern Shore,” O’Malley said in a statement. “By investing in these projects, we improve safety, relieve congestion, and make Maryland an even more attractive place for companies to invest. Together, with the support of our local partners, we made the better choices to invest in the future of Maryland’s transportation network, allowing us to create more than 57,200 jobs for our hardworking families and rebuild our state’s infrastructure.”
The funding for these investments were made possible through Maryland’s Transportation Infrastructure Investment Act of 2013, which allows for $4.4 billion in transportation investments throughout the next six years in order to promote economic growth and create jobs.
Maryland Department of Transportation will be spending $52 million of that $160 million on a new interchange at US 301/MD 304, $50 million to build a replacement for the MD 331 Dover Bridge, $42 million to widen MD 404 from west of MD 309 to Cemetery Road, $11 million to widen US 113 from Massey Branch to Five Mile Branch Road, and $3.7 million to begin construction on a new roundabout at MD 822 and MD 675.