The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration recently announced over $1 million in highway safety grants.
The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) recently announced more than $1 million in federal Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) grants. The funds will go towards safety projects focused on eliminating pedestrian fatalities and serious injuries on state roadways.
According to the press release:
“The Maryland Department of Transportation is committed to promoting safety for all roadway users, whether they’re driving, walking, biking or taking transit,” said MDOT Secretary James F. Ports, Jr. “These HSIP grants reinforce that commitment, and reflect how MDOT, our federal partners and local jurisdictions are working as a team to make Maryland’s transportation network safer and more accessible for everyone.”
Montgomery County received the bulk of the funding at $720,000; followed by Baltimore County at $225,000; and Cecil County at $76,500.
- Montgomery County will receive $720,000 to install protected pedestrian crossings using pedestrian hybrid beacons at Willard Avenue and Shoemaker Farm Lane and also at Willard Avenue and Park Avenue in the Friendship Village area. The county will contribute $80,000 to complete the $800,000 project.
- Baltimore County will receive $225,000 to install raised crosswalks along intersections of the Torrey C. Brown Trail at Sparks, Corbett, Hicks, Hunters Mills, Graystone, Wiseburg, Dairy, Walker and Freeland roads in the northern part of the county. The county will contribute $25,000 to complete the $250,000 project.
- Cecil County will receive $76,500 to install pedestrian hybrid beacons at the intersection of Longview Drive and Racine School Road in front of Elk Neck Elementary School in Elkton. The award also supports upgrading existing crosswalk curb cuts. Cecil County will contribute $8,500 to complete the $85,000 project.
HSIP is a core federal-aid program administered by the Federal Highway Association (FHWA). The program requires a data-driven, strategic approach to improve safety on public roadways and achieve a significant reduction in fatalities and serious injuries.
To quality for HSIP grant funding, a jurisdiction must have a local safety plan, seek low-cost systemic projects, implement improvements at multiple locations, obtain safety benefits. Strategies should align with preferable countermeasures such as guardrails and rumble strips, signs and pavement markings, traffic signal and signage upgrades.