Officials Outline Six-Year Draft Budget and Provide Key Project Updates
HANOVER, MD (October 24, 2024) – Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld met today with officials in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties 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 Thursday’s meetings, transportation officials offered details and updates on several projects and programs affecting Prince George’s and Montgomery counties. In addition to Secretary Wiedefeld, officials attending included State Highway Administrator William Pines; Motor Vehicle Administrator Chrissy Nizer; Maryland Transit Administration Deputy Administrator Kate Sylvester; Maryland Transportation Authority Executive Director Bruce Gartner and Planning and Program Development Director Melissa Williams; and Maryland Aviation Administration Executive Director Ricky Smith and Chief Engineer Paul Shank.
Administrator Pines highlighted the agency’s commitment to move forward with multimodal projects that improve safety, accessibility and mobility statewide and said State Highway has worked in the past year to streamline its process to grant highway access permits, which supports commercial, industrial and residential development.
He said corridors in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties have been designated for projects under the agency’s Pedestrian Safety Action Plan (PSAP), which explores improvements to make roadways safer and more accessible for pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and all users. A stretch of New Hampshire Avenue spanning parts of both counties, as well as a section of MD 410 in Hyattsville, are among the first PSAP corridors. The State Highway Administration held public workshops for both in recent months to gather feedback, and the design process for both will continue in 2025.
In addition, Administrator Pines said State Highway recently completed a $4 million project on MD 195 from University Boulevard to the Washington, D.C. line that included rebuilding sidewalks, bus stops and driveway entrances, along with other upgrades.
Among other important local investments in the Draft Consolidated Transportation Program:
- Work continues on the Purple Line, where construction is more than 68 percent complete. The first light rail vehicles for the Purple Line have already arrived for testing, and revenue service is on track to begin in late 2027.
- State Highway is continuing work with partners Prince George’s County, the City of Greenbelt, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and others to plan for improvements near the Capital Beltway and the Greenbelt Metro to support the FBI headquarters relocation.
- More than $2.2 billion for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s Capital Program. This dedicated funding has helped rebuild reliability, allowing WMATA to deliver a world-class service and driving riders back to the system.
- Investing $1 million in Fiscal Year 2026 to support bus priority initiatives in Montgomery County.
- Construction began this spring on the new, $269 million diamond interchange at Pennsylvania Avenue and Suitland Parkway in Prince George’s County. The project, which is being constructed in phases, is currently targeted for completion in 2028.
- The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission will receive $900,000 in a grant from the Transportation Alternative Program to complete design of a one-mile extension of the Magruder Branch Trail from Valley Park Drive to the Damascus Town Center in Montgomery County.
- The College Park Airport is getting $250,000 in Fiscal Year 2025. The funding, through the Maryland Aviation Administration’s Statewide Aviation Grants program, will support airfield electrical improvements.
The meetings are 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 concludes this week. 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.