State, local officials to meet on transportation priorities
Sep. 27—State transportation officials and Frederick County leaders will meet virtually Wednesday evening to discuss transportation priorities and investments in the county.
The annual meeting is the seventh in the Maryland Department of Transportation's tour of the state's 23 counties and the city of Baltimore to discuss the draft fiscal 2022-2027 Consolidated Transportation Program.
The program details MDOT's six-year, $16.4 billion capital budget.
The meeting will include Transportation Secretary Greg Slater, and officials from the Motor Vehicle Administration, Maryland Transit Administration, Maryland Aviation Administration, State Highway Administration, and the Maryland Transportation Authority.
After the draft budget is presented for review and comments, MDOT prepares a final budget to present to the General Assembly in January.
In addition to the money in the draft CTP, the MTA plans to invest another $2.8 billion in the state's toll roads and bridges, according to an MDOT release.
For several years, Frederick County's top priority has been widening U.S. 15 through the city of Frederick, from Interstate 70 to Md. 26.
In May, Slater and U.S. Rep. David Trone (D) toured the area, and an $8.8 million request for U.S. 15 reconstruction was included in a federal transportation reauthorization bill in June.
Other county priorities from 2021 included planning and design funding for widening Md. 85 between Ballenger Creek and Guilford Drive, project planning money to widen Md. 194 from Md. 26 to Devilbiss Bridge Road, expanding paratransit service in the county, improving rural transportation service, and expanding commuter bus and MARC commuter rail service between Frederick and the Washington, D.C. area.
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