Investing in TransportationGovernor O’Malley restored balance to the state’s transportation system by making the necessary investments in highway, transit, aviation, and port operations. Over the past four years, his transportation agenda has focused on creating jobs and improving the quality of our life and the environment while keeping our families safe and secure.

Under Governor O’Malley’s leadership, the Port of Baltimore reached a landmark agreement to construct a 50-foot berth at Seagirt Marine Terminal, generating 5,700 jobs in the port and construction sectors. This project will yield a tremendous economic advantage for our state and ready our logistics network for the expansion of the Panama Canal and the arrival of even larger trade vessels.

Recognizing the need for long-term dedicated investment in existing infrastructure, Governor O’Malley made a multi-year $500 million commitment to the WMATA transit system, leveraging $2.5 billion in funding from the federal government and regional partners to generate a 5 to 1 return on Maryland’s investment.

Despite a challenging economy, Governor O’Malley has advanced major transit projects, creating vital transportation links to job centers, residential communities, and anchor institutions. His support of the Red Line in the Baltimore area and Purple Line and Corridor Cities Transit way in the Washington area has put Maryland in a position to compete for federal funds as the

projects enter their engineering and construction phases.Governor O’Malley has been a strong backer of transportation safety and personal security. He signed into law important measures to address teen driving skills, prevent distracted driving, and crack down on speeding in work areas and school zones. Moreover, Maryland drivers have benefited from the enhanced security features of new license products, ushered in by the successful implementation of the REAL ID Act.

While significant progress has been made, Governor O’Malley will not rest until our state has a world class transportation system that continues to Move Maryland Forward.

Gridlock Bob Ehrlich: A Stalled Transportation Record

Bob Ehrlich’s single-minded obsession with the InterCounty Connector put other vitally important highway and transit projects on the backburner. While Bob Ehrlich symbolically “broke ground” on the project countless times, he never actually oversaw any portion of the road’s construction. He left the real work of delivering the project to Governor O’Malley, who thankfully ensured that it didn’t become the Maryland version of Boston’s troubled "Big Dig."

Bob Ehrlich lacked any vision for transportation while in office and set out to dismantle transit services, rather than reform them. If it weren’t for the intervention of the General Assembly and local governments, Bob Ehrlich would have cut bus service to transit-dependent populations in Baltimore and closed MARC stations in Central Maryland. Recently, he confessed that if given a second chance, he will pull the plug on the locally preferred alternatives for the Red and Purple Lines, setting transit and economic development back decades.

Putting his own interests over those of Maryland’s working families; Bob Ehrlich placed a series of loyalists with no relevant professional experience into key transportation agencies—including a professional figure skater who only had a high school degree. Unsurprisingly, this perverse strategy had its intended results: Employee morale plummeted. Public involvement suffered. Customer service declined and collaboration with county and city governments ended.

O'Malley-Brown: Delivering Results

Bringing Jobs to the Port of Baltimore

● Maryland’s successful public-private partnership to construct a 50-foot berth at Seagirt Marine Terminal addresses the Port of Baltimore’s top infrastructure needs. The project will guarantee that Maryland is able to accommodate the large vessels expected as a result of the expansion of the Panama Canal in 2014.

● Beginning with its groundbreaking in March 2010, the project is a dynamic job generator and attracted $140 million of investment in highways, tunnels, and bridges, bringing direct relief to the construction sector.

● Governor O’Malley has been a champion of the National Gateway Initiative freight project. The NGI is designed to bring over $30 million clearance upgrades to Maryland so the Port of Baltimore gains double-stack container access to the Midwest.

Strategic Goal to Double Transit Ridership by the End of 2020

● Click here to learn more about Governor O'Malley's goal to Double Transit Ridership in Maryland by the end of 2020.

Quick Action to Produce Economic Recovery

● Governor O’Malley’s stewardship of the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) program has put people back to work in every county and has brought desperately needed investment to our roads, transit system and airports.

● Maryland’s administration of these funds has been swift, winning distinction for being the first state in the nation to obtain federal approval for an ARRA highway project. Maryland was also one of the first states to obligate all its highway contract funds, doing so in less than one year from the enactment of the federal legislation.

● Independent organization Good Jobs First lauded Maryland for having the most transparent web-based tool for tracking tax-payer funded projects.

Sound Management of the Intercounty Connector

● Governor O’Malley has overseen the responsible implementation of the Intercounty Connector. This important project serves to relieve some of the most congested local roads in the state.

● His administration has focused on going above and beyond the federal standards for addressing environmental impacts. The ICC’s $370 million package of mitigation and community stewardship projects will not only restore natural resources stressed by previous development but will also deliver recreational amenities to the communities along the road corridor.

BWI Marshall Tops in its Field

● Under Governor O’Malley’s leadership, BWI Thurgood Marshall was one of only two of the top 25 largest airports to show passenger growth in 2009.

Providing Dedicated Funding for WMATA

● Governor O’Malley has budgeted $50 million in each of the next ten years to support the preservation needs of the WMATA system—the second busiest rail system in the nation. Combined with $250 million of matching contributions from the federal government, Virginia and the District of Columbia, WMATA will have a $3 billion dedicated source of funding over 10 years to address state-of-good-repair issues.

● Maryland’s contribution to the health of the WMATA system represents a 5 to 1 return on investment.

Advancing the Red and Purple Lines

● Governor O’Malley has funded the planning and engineering work associated with the Red and Purple Lines.

● In August 2009, Governor O’Malley announced the locally-preferred alternatives for the Red and Purple Lines. These two light rail projects will provide substantial mobility benefits, further integrating their respective regional transportation networks. In the fall of 2010, the projects will enter the federal review process to compete against others nationally.

Making Transit-Oriented Development a Priority

● Governor O’Malley has made Transit-Oriented Development a priority of his administration, leveraging Maryland’s transit stations to grow our economy and create vibrant, walkable communities of residential, office and retail space.

● In 2008, the Governor made Transit-Oriented Development part of the state’s mission with ground-breaking legislation. Building off of that success, he created a program to promote locally-driven development projects near transit, through funding, financing, tax credits and other incentives.

● Governor O’Malley also signed an Executive Order prioritizing the location of State offices in TODs, providing leadership by example and anchoring revitalization efforts. In the first year of the program, fourteen projects have been designated by the state and local governments.

● The State Center project was one of just eight projects in the world to win the New Urbanism Congress’s Charter Award. The project will redevelop the State’s office complex into a mixed-use community between the light rail and Metro Stations, strengthening the surrounding Baltimore City neighborhoods.

Achieving Record Ridership on MARC

● Governor O’Malley has made strategic investments in the MARC commuter rail system. Under

his direction, the state has purchased 26 new high-power, low-emission diesel locomotives and 13 additional high-capacity, bi-level passenger cars.

● He has personally used the system to get feedback from customers on service issues and led the effort to get better, more reliable performance from Amtrak.

● Under Governor O’Malley’s leadership, average weekday ridership on the system is up 14.3 percent in FY 2010, as compared to FY 2007.

BRAC Ready

● Despite a severe downturn in revenues to the Transportation Trust Fund, requiring over $2 billion in capital project deferrals, Governor O’Malley preserved funding for traffic intersection improvements at the state’s BRAC-impacted military installations.

● Governor O’Malley allocated roughly $115 million in state funds to the road projects at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Fort Meade, and Bethesda Naval Medical Center.

● After taking office, the Governor established the BRAC Subcabinet, which improved collaboration among state agencies, local governments and military installations. Phased implementation plans have been developed for transportation, so that additional BRAC projects can be constructed as funds become available.

● Under the leadership of Lt. Governor Brown, Maryland is also targeting federal Defense Access Road funds and federal transportation funds. Partnerships with the private sector have yielded $11.5 million in contributions from an Enhanced Use Lease developer at Aberdeen Proving Ground and a developer-funded 1-mile long widening of MD 175 near Fort Meade.

● Under Governor O’Malley, greater emphasis has been placed on a more comprehensive approach to BRAC transportation needs, including the creation of programs to promote car pools, van pools and transit ridership. Smart Growth is emphasized through BRAC Zones and Transit-Oriented Development.

Hybrid Bus Conversion

● In order to reduce emissions and improve the health of our environment while extending the service life of our buses, Governor O’Malley launched a program to replace the entire MTA bus fleet with hybrid-electric vehicles.

High Marks for Road Safety Initiatives

● As a result of new laws signed by Governor O’Malley to strengthen safety standards on Maryland roads, Maryland has been named one of the most progressive states in the nation regarding highway safety and enforcement by independent advocates.

REAL ID Act

● Maryland has taken the necessary steps to ensure federal compliance with the REAL ID Act, a federal mandate designed to incorporate the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission.