highway and road transportation

Raising the highway speed limits in Maryland won't do anyone much good

Maryland State Police arrested a motorist who fled the scene of a hit-and-run accident on Interstate 95 in Harford County Thursday night only to be apprehended while driving through traffic stalled by emergency road repair, authorities said on Friday.

All lanes are open on two local thoroughfares that had been experienced closures on Thursday morning due to rush-hour incidents, state transportation officials said.

Fracking benefits the wealthy few at the expense of the many

Speed kills, so why raise the limit?

A collision on the inner loop of Interstate 695 in Arbutus at Southwestern Boulevard has closed the inner loop left traffic lane and inner loop left shoulder at 8:26 a.m. on Wednesday, according to the state Department of Transportation.

The premise that motorists are not allowed to drive fast enough on some of Maryland's highways is the apparent rationale behind a bill that passed 39-7 last week in the state Senate. The bill would raise the state's top speed limit from 65 to an unjustifiable 70 miles per hour.

Alternating closures of the two northbound bores of the Fort McHenry Tunnel will continue for the foreseeable future during off-peak traffic periods as crews continue emergency repairs to an underground sump pump and water line, according to the Maryland Transportation Authority.

The State Highway Administration has been awarded a $200,000 federal planning grant for the installation of a state-of-the-art real-time travel information system on three congested traffic arteries between Baltimore and Washington, the Federal Highway Administration said Tuesday.

Amid questions about plans for transportation in the state, Maryland senators scheduled a second confirmation hearing for Gov. Larry Hogan's pick for transportation secretary

Baltimore transportation officials said peak hour parking restrictions will be enforced Monday morning in preparation for the morning commute. Vehicles must be moved from marked streets to avoid ticketing or towing.

Drivers are urged to use caution Sunday after much of Maryland was pounded with five to 10 inches of snow.

The benefits of a 70 mph speed limit in Maryland are too low and the risks too high for the state to move in that direction

According to the National Weather Service, the heaviest snow is expected this afternoon, and it will change to freezing rain tonight.

A two-vehicle collision on MD 100 West in Hanover prior to Arundel Mills Boulevard has closed the westbound left traffic lane and westbound left shoulder at 8:50 a.m. on Thursday, according to the state Department of Transportation.

There are about 80 structurally deficient bridges in Maryland maintained by the state. You'd think fixing them would be the top priority for state highway funds. But the Maryland Department of Transportation too often invests taxpayer money on extravagant highway expansion projects.

A three-vehicle collision on MD 100 East in Elkridge at Intestate 95 has closed all eastbound traffic lanes and the eastbound left shoulder at 8:29 a.m. on Wednesday, according to the state Department of Transportation.

West Towson Elementary parents say many motorists pass school buses that stop to pick up or drop off children on York Road. Some cars are speeding; others run red lights. But parents say that too often, police do little about it. That was not the case Friday; at least two motorists were seen being pulled over by the police.

While transportation officials ordered the immediate inspection of 27 bridges last week after concrete fell from a Prince George's County overpass onto a car passing below it, Maryland has dozens of other spans that similarly are designated as structurally deficient.

Maryland's top transportation official on Thursday ordered immediate inspections of 27 aging, state-owned bridges after a chunk of concrete fell on a Prince George's County woman's car from the bottom of the Interstate 495 overpass in Morningside.

All lanes are open on MD 77 in Carroll County with the clearing of a single-vehicle crash on early Thursday morning, according to the state Department of Transportation.

After a piece of concrete fell onto a car driving on Suitland Road under the Capital Beltway bridge in the Washington, D.C. area on Tuesday, Acting Maryland Transportation Secretary Pete K. Rahn ordered the inspection of 27 state-owned bridges in similar condition.

Friday traffic: Two lanes reopened at main break site

A ruptured 16-inch water main beneath Gay Street downtown has "undermined the street surface," forcing its closure, according to the Baltimore Department of Public Works.

Traffic: Crash reported on I-95 south at Fort McHenry Tunnel

Bel Air area Del. Susan McComas says the first inkling she got that the State Highway Administration had reversed its position on Route 924 access for the controversial proposed Bel Air South Walmart came during an annual reception held for legislators and local officials hosted in Annapolis on Jan. 22 by members of Harford County's business community.

A collision on the outer loop of Interstate 695 in Middle River at MD 702 has closed lane closures in both directions at 8:26 a.m. on Friday, according to the state Department of Transportation.

Motorized vehicles remain the number one killer of our young people ages 4 to 34 in Maryland; it's time to revisit our car-centric culture and make a few changes that can save lives and go a long way toward restoring civility with our fellow travelers.

All northbound traffic on Interstate 895 in Baltimore City has been closed due to a two-vehicle collision at the Harbor Tunnel at 8:49 a.m. on Thursday, according to the state Department of Transportation.

Leonard Pitts Jr. applauds Eric Holder's announcement that the feds will stop seizing certain assets irrationally taken during routing traffic stops.

The two left lanes of northbound Interstate 95 will be closed in Laurel through the afternoon commute Tuesday as crews complete emergency repair work to the deck of a bridge.

Call for investigation into source of guns for parking-space accused killer

A large outpouring of sympathy and tributes is expected in Bel Air Saturday as people pay their respects to Capt. Erik Steciak, the paramedic working for the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company who died in the line of duty responding to an accident call on Jan. 6.

Baltimore City Police reported that an officer aboard a motorcycle suffered minor injuries after being struck by another vehicle at West Pratt and Paca streets on Wednesday morning.

Transportation officials and weather forecasters are cautioning the region could be in for another bout of light snow and frigid temperatures Wednesday morning.

The Maryland State Highway Administration will hold a public information meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 14., on its plans to replace a bridge along Route 7 over one of the tributaries of Bynum Run in Abingdon.

West Ring Factory Road, in the vicinity of Tollgate Road and Somerville Road southwest of Bel Air, will be closed to all through traffic for approximately three weeks between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. for utility construction, Harford County Public Works announced.

MTA reported on Tuesday morning that its Washington, D.C. service was operating on schedule the morning after a tragic incident on the city's Metrorail service delayed trains to and from Washington.

Everything you need to know to start your day

Another messy, slippery morning commute is forecast Monday, this time with pockets of freezing rain forecast across the region.

With freezing rain and slick conditions, State Highway Administration officials have urged drivers to avoid or delay travel Monday morning.

Road repair and maintenance money, Hatem Bridge tolls and concerns about rising tuition are on the agenda of Harford County's legislators as they prepare for the 2015 session.

A disabled vehicle on the Jones Falls Expressway South in Baltimore City at the Falls Road exit has closed the southbound right traffic lane and southbound right shoulder at 8:28 a.m. on Friday, according to the state Department of Transportation.

The State Highway Administration has opened 39 new truck parking spaces at the Interstate 95 South rest area and welcome center in Howard County, signaling the completion of a $5.5 million project, the organization announced Thursday.

Snowy conditions should have caused city schools to be closed

The state Department of Transportation reported a disabled vehicle on Interstate 95 North in Elkridge at I-895 at 9:03 a.m. on Wednesday.