As reported by the Baltimore Sun (limited free views available), Governor O’Malley plans to hold a press conference to announce $1.5 billion in new transportation projects planned for the Baltimore metropolitan area. From the article:

In all, 17 projects are to be announced for the city and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford and Howard counties.

Plans include $20 million for streetscape improvements in downtown Hampstead in Carroll; $43 million to improve intersections along access routes to Aberdeen Proving Ground in Harford; $29 million to rebuild the interchange between Route 29 and Interstate 295 at Fort Meade in Anne Arundel; $48 million to widen Route 29 in Howard; and $86 million to widen Interstate 695 between Route 40 and Route 144 in Baltimore County.

Another $246 million is to be spent on replacing the Baltimore Metro’s fleet of 100 rail cars and 15 miles of signaling systems, and $12 million is to go toward the operating costs of the Charm City Circulator.

More than a third of the new funding — $519 million — is to be spent on construction on the Baltimore Red Line, a $2.6 billion, 14.1-mile light rail project to cut through the heart of downtown Baltimore, connecting Woodlawn in the west with Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center to the east. In May, officials announced $170 million for the project’s right-of-way acquisition and final design.