Officials Outline Six-Year Draft Budget and provide Key Project Updates
HANOVER, MD (October 16, 2024) – Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld met today with officials in Frederick County to discuss the Department’s Draft Consolidated Transportation Program for Fiscal Years 2025 to 2030. The $18.9 billion, six-year spending plan invests in projects and programs that help advance Maryland’s goals to be a safer, more affordable, more competitive and more sustainable State that leaves no one behind.
“We are making strategic investments to further enhance the safety of our system and maintain operations," said Secretary Wiedefeld. “This draft budget is balanced but we had to make tough decisions and reductions to live within our means. We will continue to follow the data and make investments that support Maryland families in a fiscally responsible manner.”
The safety of all Marylanders is the top priority of the Department, and that is reflected in the Draft CTP, with projects that prioritize maintaining the current system and seek to reduce the number of fatalities and serious injuries on Maryland’s roads. To view the full Draft FY 2025-2030 Consolidated Transportation Program, go to
www.ctp.maryland.gov.
At Wednesday’s meeting, transportation officials offered details and updates on several projects and programs affecting Frederick County. In addition to Secretary Wiedefeld, officials attending included State Highway Administrator William Pines; Motor Vehicle Administrator Chrissy Nizer; Maryland Transit Administrator Holly Arnold; and Maryland Aviation Administration Regional Aviation Director Ashish Solanki.
State Highway Administrator Pines highlighted the agency’s commitment to move forward with multimodal projects that improve safety, accessibility and mobility in Frederick County. He also noted that State Highway has worked in the past year to streamline its process to grant highway access permits, which supports commercial, industrial and residential development.
Administrator Pines said State Highway this month opened the new $4 million MD 17 bridge over Middle Creek to traffic. Additionally, last month crews began work on an $8.1 million project to expand tractor trailer parking at the I-70 South Mountain Welcome Center near Myersville. That project will add 25 spaces, boosting the capacity 50%.
Among other important local investments in the Draft Consolidated Transportation Program:
- Construction is continuing on a $5 million project to replace the MD 75 bridge over I-70.
- The City of Frederick will receive $200,000 from the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) for design of shared-use paths from Fredericktowne Village and Monocacy Village to link with Frederick’s downtown trail network.
- The Town of Brunswick will receive a TAP grant of $330,718 to design sidewalks as part of a safe schools initiative.
- Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg will receive a Recreational Trails grant of $65,484 to improve overall trail safety.
- The Maryland Transit Administration is making investments of more than $3.5 million in operating and capital grants to support local transit operations in Frederick County.
- The Frederick Municipal Airport is getting nearly $200,000 in fiscal year 2025. The funding, through the Maryland Aviation Administration’s Statewide Aviation Grants program, will support the construction of a perimeter security fence at the airport.
The meeting is part of the Maryland Department of Transportation’s engagement process in all 23 Maryland counties and Baltimore City to discuss the funding plan and receive input from local officials and the public. The tour continues into October. Dates and locations for upcoming sessions can be found
here. The schedule is subject to change and will be updated as needed throughout the process.
The six-year Draft CTP outlines capital investments in each mode funded by the Transportation Trust Fund: Maryland Aviation Administration, Maryland Port Administration, Maryland Transit Administration, Motor Vehicle Administration, State Highway Administration and The Secretary's Office, as well as Maryland's investment in the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. The Maryland Transportation Authority's toll facilities are financed, constructed, operated and maintained with toll revenues paid by customers using those facilities.
Following the tour, the Maryland Department of Transportation will finalize the Draft CTP and submit the Final Fiscal Year 2025-2030 CTP to the Legislature in January for consideration during the 2025 General Assembly session.