Partnership with Local Jurisdictions Supports Complete Streets Policy, Focuses on Safe Street Design for All Users
BALTIMORE, MD (June 4, 2025) – Building upon the success of its first-ever Complete Streets Leadership Academy in 2024, the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration is partnering with local jurisdictions this summer to deploy Complete Streets “quick-build" demonstration projects to improve safety on state-owned roadways in communities across Maryland.
Quick-build projects planned in Anne Arundel, Cecil, Dorchester, Montgomery and Washington counties advance the Maryland Department of Transportation's
Complete Streets policy, a priority initiative for the Moore-Miller Administration to make roads safer for all users.
“Every Marylander depends on our state's transportation infrastructure. It's essential for the state's economic vitality," said Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld. “Complete Streets is all about ensuring everyone has access to safe, convenient transportation, and our experience with quick-build projects shows we can deliver on that promise with innovation and efficiency."
Complete Streets quick-build projects target intersections or corridors with a history of traffic fatalities or crashes. These short-term projects use measures that are innovative, cost effective and easy to implement on an accelerated timeline, such as speed cushions, enhanced pedestrian crossings, lane narrowing and traffic calming measures. They allow MDOT to test products and solutions that may benefit these safety corridors and provide useful data to support decisions for statewide permanent installations.
The 2025 program of
Complete Streets quick-build projects are planned for these locations:
- MD 14 (Main Street) in Secretary, Dorchester County, at Warwick Elementary School;
- MD 273 (Telegraph Road) in Fair Hill, Cecil County, from MD 213 to Ranger Skinner Drive;
- MD 198 (Spencerville Road) in Burtonsville, Montgomery County, from Athey Road to Lions Den Road;
- MD 410 (Ethan Allen Avenue) in Takoma Park, Montgomery County, from Jackson Avenue to Carroll Avenue;
- MD 261 (Lake Shore Drive) in Rose Haven, Anne Arundel County, at Harrington Harbor and
- MD 65 (N. Church Street)/MD 34 (E. Main Street) in Sharpsburg, Washington County.
For each location, the Maryland Department of Transportation and State Highway Administration will collaborate with jurisdictions to plan and execute the quick-build demonstration projects. The Department also is hosting a
MDOT in Motion webinar on June 5 on the Complete Streets quick-build initiative.
“Working with local officials and community stakeholders, the State Highway Administration can quickly and efficiently test demonstration projects that enhance safety and mobility for all roadway users, whether they're walking, biking, riding the bus or driving," said State Highway Administrator Will Pines. “Partnership is critical in this process, because it helps us develop tailor-made, specific solutions that respond to specific local needs."
Project installation will occur this summer with the goal to have all projects remain in place through the fall. Some features may be permanent, if successful, while others will be removed after six to nine months.
The 2025 program follows last year's inaugural round of quick-build projects designed and installed in Howard County, the City of Hagerstown and the Town of Bel Air in collaboration with those jurisdictions and Smart Growth America. Those partnerships resulted in cost-effective improvements that went from concept to implementation in only a few months, providing meaningful safety enhancements during the demonstration periods for all roadway users.
For example, the quick-build project installed in Hagerstown reduced average top speeds in the corridor by 15% and reduced the number of people exceeding the speed limit by 20 mph or more by 90% – while accommodating a 20% increase in traffic volumes. A full report on the outcomes of the 2024 Complete Streets quick build projects is available
here.
Complete Streets quick-build projects are funded in Governor Wes Moore's Fiscal Year 2026 budget approved by the Maryland General Assembly and are part of the Department's overall strategy to make smart investments that improve safety, drive economic growth and enhance Maryland's transportation system.
These projects, as well as the State Highway Administration's
Pedestrian Safety Action Plan and other initiatives, complement the
Serious About Safety program, a department-wide focus to drive the Maryland Department of Transportation's safety goals and save lives.
For a list of all major State Highway Administration projects, visit
Project Portal or the homepage at
roads.maryland.gov. For a look at real-time traffic conditions, go to
md511.maryland.gov.