ANNAPOLIS, MD (January 29, 2008) – Governor Martin O’Malley today announced $11 million to assist Baltimore City in upgrading Broening Highway, the road that serves as the gateway to the Port of Baltimore. This economic development project will improve access to the Port of Baltimore’s busy freight hubs, including Dundalk and Seagirt Marine Terminals. Every day, nearly 2,000 trucks travel along Broening Highway to these marine terminals to take products arriving by ship to consumers throughout Maryland and beyond. The typical container ship at the Port of Baltimore carries 3,000 containers. Those containers must leave the Port by one of two routes – by truck or by train.
“The Port of Baltimore is the closest inland Port on the East Coast, which makes it a big draw for national and international shippers,” said Governor O’Malley. “You can reach two thirds of the nation’s population overnight. With the vast majority of these containers leaving the Port by truck, investing in our highway network is crucial to Maryland’s economic development. Broening Highway is the life line that connects The Port of Baltimore to the Baltimore Beltway, I-95, and links to the mid-west and the entire Eastern Seaboard.”
The State Highway Administration will be working closely with Baltimore City, the Port of Baltimore, the Maryland Transportation Authority, and Baltimore County to move forward with plans to upgrade this key access road to the Port. Preliminary plans include focusing on the entrances to the two marine terminals and rebuilding Broening Highway from its base layer up.
“The Port of Baltimore is a deep-water port in a key location, and it remains a vital economic engine for the City,” said Baltimore City Mayor Sheila Dixon. “Ensuring a smooth, steady flow of traffic from the Port to I-95 will help the Port and the industries that rely on it to thrive well into the future. I appreciate Governor O’Malley’s commitment to the continued success of the Port of Baltimore.”
Governor O’Malley has added this project to the six-year capital transportation program covering the years FY 2008-FY 2013. The six-year program, known as the Consolidated Transportation Program (CTP), shows statewide investment in transportation will total $10.6 billion. Transportation in Maryland is funded through dedicated revenue sources flowing into the independent Transportation Trust Fund, separate from the state’s General Fund.
An electronic version of the complete FY 2008-2013 Maryland Consolidated Transportation Program will be available later today at the following link: http://www.mdot.state.md.us/Planning/Plans%20Programs%20Reports/Programs/CTP%2008-13/Cover_ToC/Table%20of%20Contents
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Christine Hansen
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