Maryland Transportation Acting Secretary Samantha J. Biddle convened with officials from Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties on September 30, 2025, to review the Department of Transportation’s Draft Consolidated Transportation Program for fiscal years 2026 through 2031. The six-year plan proposes $21.5 billion in capital investments across highways, transit, aviation and other modes, emphasizing safety enhancements, system maintenance and economic development in Southern Maryland communities.
The meetings, held as part of MDOT’s annual fall tour, focused on projects tailored to the region’s growth along corridors like U.S. Route 301 and Maryland Route 5. Biddle stressed collaboration, stating, “Listening and engaging with local elected leaders and Marylanders is critical in successfully delivering the state’s capital program. The feedback we receive helps us to better serve the State and deliver a program that aligns with our shared goals to uplift communities and enhance connections to opportunities.”
State Highway Administrator Will Pines outlined multimodal initiatives under the Serious About Safety program, which supports Maryland’s Vision Zero goal of eliminating roadway fatalities and serious injuries. In St. Mary’s County, a $32.4 million allocation will fund replacement of the 112-year-old St. Mary’s River bridge on MD 5 from MD 471 to MD 246 in Great Mills, including widening the roadway from two to four lanes and adding bike and pedestrian facilities. Construction is slated to begin in 2027, addressing daily traffic exceeding 30,000 vehicles to Patuxent River Naval Air Station and local schools. The project incorporates federal funding secured by U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer and follows a completed planning study that identified safety risks in the corridor.
Pines also detailed a Pedestrian Safety Action Plan project on MD 235 from Great Mills Road to Chancellors Run Road in St. Mary’s, aimed at reducing crash risks through improved crosswalks and lighting. In Charles County, the plan advances continental crosswalks and pedestrian upgrades on a segment of U.S. 301, while Calvert receives $32.5 million for safety improvements at three sections of MD 231, including intersection realignments and barrier enhancements to protect against run-off-the-road incidents.
Transit investments form a core component, with the Maryland Transit Administration collaborating on the Southern Maryland Rapid Transit project’s Planning and Environment Linkages study. This 19-mile corridor initiative along MD 5 and U.S. 301 from Branch Avenue Metrorail Station to Waldorf evaluates bus rapid transit and light rail options to ease congestion and support economic hubs like Joint Base Andrews. The study, building on a 2017 alternatives report favoring bus rapid transit, fulfills National Environmental Policy Act requirements and incorporates public input from recent open houses. An $88,000 grant to the Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland funds a Safe Streets for All Action Plan, targeting high-injury networks in the three counties through data-driven countermeasures like protected bike lanes and traffic calming.
Local transit operations receive substantial support. Charles County secures nearly $1.5 million for VanGo expansions, including a rideshare program, construction of a new facility and purchase of two small buses to connect Waldorf to the College of Southern Maryland and regional links. Calvert County matches this amount for maintenance, rideshare services, design of a transfer station in Prince Frederick and two buses serving medical centers and shopping areas. St. Mary’s allocation of $3.1 million covers preventative maintenance and three small buses, enhancing access from Lexington Park to Leonardtown employment sites.
Aviation funding includes $60,000 in fiscal year 2026 for St. Mary’s County Airport through the Maryland Aviation Administration’s statewide grants, supporting runway lighting upgrades to improve night operations for general aviation and emergency medical flights. These efforts align with broader CTP funding from the $19.5 billion Transportation Trust Fund, supplemented by federal aid and bonds, covering administrations for highways, ports, transit and vehicles. The Maryland Transportation Authority’s toll facilities, such as the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, operate separately on user revenues.
The tour, spanning all 23 counties and Baltimore City through November 2025, gathers input to refine the draft before MDOT submits the final CTP to the General Assembly in January 2026. Sessions in Calvert at 10 a.m. in Prince Frederick’s Commissioner Hearing Room, Charles at 2 p.m. in La Plata and St. Mary’s at 4 p.m. in Leonardtown featured updates from the Motor Vehicle Administration on emissions testing and the Maryland Transportation Authority on bridge maintenance. Full schedules are available on the MDOT website, with changes possible as feedback emerges.
Maryland’s CTP process dates to the 1977 Transportation Trust Fund creation, evolving into a six-year framework that balances preservation and expansion. In Southern Maryland, where population growth has surged 10 percent since 2020 to over 500,000 residents across the tri-counties, the program addresses bottlenecks exacerbated by naval base employment and suburban development. For instance, MD 231 in Calvert, a key east-west route from Prince Frederick to the Bay Bridge, sees upgrades to mitigate seasonal tourism spikes.
Safety metrics drive selections, with the Pedestrian Safety Action Plan, released in 2023, prioritizing corridors based on crash data showing 28 percent of St. Mary’s fatalities involving pedestrians from 2018 to 2022. The Complete Streets policy, updated in 2024, mandates accommodations for all users in resurfacing projects, influencing designs like MD 235’s crosswalk additions. Transit grants build on VanGo’s 17 routes serving 1.2 million rides annually, reducing reliance on personal vehicles in areas with limited sidewalks.
Economic impacts extend to workforce mobility, with rapid transit poised to cut commute times by 20 minutes for Waldorf-to-D.C. travelers, per 2017 study projections. Airport enhancements at St. Mary’s support 50,000 annual operations, bolstering flight training tied to Pax River. As the tour progresses, local officials like Calvert Commissioner President Kelly McConkey emphasize aligning state funds with county plans, such as the 2023 Strategic Roadway Safety Plan targeting zero deaths by 2025.
The draft’s $21.5 billion scale, up from $18.9 billion in the prior cycle, reflects increased gas tax revenues and federal infrastructure dollars. Projects undergo rigorous scoring on safety, equity and cost, with public comments shaping amendments. Southern Maryland’s allocations underscore MDOT’s focus on equitable access, from broadband-adjacent transit stops to heritage-preserving road widenings along the Patuxent River.
Residents can submit feedback via ctp.maryland.gov, where the full draft details project timelines and maps. As the program advances, it positions the region for sustained connectivity, from rural Calvert farms to Charles industrial parks and St. Mary’s coastal enclaves.