A Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) bridge rehabilitation project is bringing Safe Zones Automated Speed Enforcement (“speed cameras”) back to the Beltway. This project involves the rehabilitation of the bridge carrying I-95 above the Outer Loop of the Beltway (I-495 West) within the I-495/I-95 interchange in College Park. Contractor crews will be repairing the bridge’s deck joints as well as its concrete piers and columns.
The Automated Speed Enforcement is focused on traffic on the Outer Loop of the Beltway, just past the split with I-95 North, headed towards New Hampshire Avenue and into Montgomery County. In a written statement, the State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) highlighted the different phases of this Automated Speed Enforcement effort:
“A warning period began December 12 for motorists exceeding the posted speed limit of 55 mph. Beginning January 3, after a 21-day warning period, Maryland State Police will review and authorize citations. By law, if a vehicle is recorded traveling at or above a specified rate over the posted speed limit, a $40 fine will be issued [and mailed] to the registered owner of the vehicle. The posted speed is 55 MPH.”
Automated Work Zone Speed Enforcement has been previously implemented on several different bridge projects on the Beltway in both Montgomery and Prince George’s County.
Councilmember Evan Glass Hosting Virtual Conference to Discuss Road Safety and Vision Zero
This Saturday from 10AM to 12PM, Montgomery County Councilmember Evan Glass is hosting a virtual conference discussing road safety and Montgomery County’s implementation of “Vision Zero” to reduce roadway injuries and fatalities.
Congressman Anthony Brown, U.S. Representative for Maryland’s 4th Congressional District and a member of the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, will deliver keynote remarks this Saturday. Families and students impacted by traffic incidents, as well as other county and state elected officials, will also be joining the virtual conference.
“More individuals were killed on our roads in 2020 than in the previous year. We must make our streets safer for pedestrians, bicyclists, drivers — everyone,” said Councilmember Evan Glass, a member of the Montgomery County Council’s Transportation & Environment Committee. “Improving our roadway infrastructure is also a matter of social justice, given that a majority of the pedestrian fatalities occur within communities of color.”
The conference will also feature two ‘breakout’ discussions: one focused on Safe Routes to School, keeping young people and families safe as they walk to school and around neighborhoods. The second ‘breakout’ discussion will be focused on Designing Safe Streets, namely reporting unsafe/broken roadway features (signals, crosswalks, signs, etc) and understanding the processes towards creating more safe streets.
Organizers ask those interested please RSVP using this link: bit.ly/visionzero-townhall
