State Transportation

Another money grab by the nanny state Yet again it appears that the government is trying to protect us from ourselves while putting its hands in our pockets. The latest red herring, speeding cameras, was presented to us by state Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari in a way that plucks at our heartstrings ("Cameras proposed to catch speeders," Dec. 1). However, if this truly is not an issue about money but safety, may I suggest that instead of being fined when caught speeding near work zones by one of these cameras, drivers should be issued a point or two on their licenses?

A new report by an anti-sprawl group warns that building the Intercounty Connector highway in the Washington suburbs could prevent Maryland from tackling traffic congestion elsewhere, while diverting growth from Baltimore and the District of Columbia to the suburbs along the road. The report, commissioned by 1000 Friends of Maryland, cautions that the ICC's $2.4 billion price tag could jeopardize the state's ability to pay for other highway and transit projects, especially those planned to handle thousands of new jobs and households coming to the Baltimore area in the next several years with military base realignment.

Maryland's robust revenues have continued to swell in recent months, and state officials are projecting a budget surplus at least $100 million higher than the $249 million that had been expected.The increased estimate for the state's general revenues comes on top of figures showing that the state's Transportation Trust Fund will take in at least $79 million more than previously forecast.A high-ranking legislative analyst, Warren G. Deschenaux, confirmed the estimates yesterday.While administration officials and legislative leaders hailed the numbers as good news, all but about $12 million of the previously expected $249 million had been allocated for such needs as school construction.

State transportation officials visited Manchester yesterday, outlining options they believe will greatly reduce rush-hour congestion on Route 30 and eliminate the need for a $70 million town bypass.The hastily arranged visit came a day ahead of today's scheduled briefing before the state Board of Public Works in Annapolis, where transportation and highway officials and a Manchester delegation were expected to agree to short-term solutions. The town's proposal for a long-desired bypass was killed because it was deemed inconsistent with the governor's Smart Growth initiative to limit suburban sprawl.

State transportation officials outlined plans for $91 million worth of roadwork in Anne Arundel County over the next six years at a meeting with county planners and elected officials yesterday.The plans include $20 million in federal and state funding to construct highway interchanges on Route 32 at the National Security Agency to replace intersections that use traffic lights to slow motorists from highway speeds.County elected officials have been pushing for improvements on that road for years, along with an upgrade of the 1.5 miles of Route 32 between Baltimore-Washington Parkway and Route 198. That stretch, where the road narrows to create a perpetual traffic bottleneck, bounds NSA, where about 20,000 people are believed employed.

Strong revenue growth and an increase in federal funds have given the state transportation budget an unexpected boost, but legislators and analysts say Maryland may still need to raise its gasoline tax to meet future road and transit needs.The state will be able to spend about $950 million annually on transportation projects and meet projected needs for the next two years, according to an analysis presented to lawmakers last night.But without new revenues, escalating costs and debt service in 2001 and beyond could force the state to scale back its transportation program, legislative analysts said.

Meeting with state transportation officials yesterday, Baltimore County Executive C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger sought support for several road projects, including the continued widening of the Beltway, extending White Marsh Boulevard and reconfiguring Paper Mill Road in Hunt Valley.Dozens of other county transportation projects -- totaling almost $210 million over the next five years -- also were discussed as part of a proposal that the Maryland Department of Transportation will present to the 1998 General Assembly for funding.

Maryland will likely have to boost its tax on gasoline soon to keep the state's transportation system in good shape, the General Assembly's presiding officers said yesterday.But bowing to political concerns, the lawmakers said any increase in the state's 23.5-cents-per-gallon tax on gasoline will have to wait until the legislature convenes after the 1998 elections."The money for these projects doesn't come out of the sky," Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller said during an Ocean City forum sponsored by the Maryland Chamber of Commerce.

George William Frick Jr., 74, owned Broadway FoodsGeorge William "Bill" Frick Jr., former owner of Broadway Foods Inc., died Friday of cancer at Greater Baltimore Medical Center in Towson. He was 74.Born on 33rd Street in Baltimore, Mr. Frick graduated from City College in 1937 and Lafayette College in Easton, Pa., in 1942.During World War II, he was stationed at an Army base in Anchorage, Alaska, where he worked as a supply sergeant from 1942 to 1945. Upon discharge, he returned home to work at the then-Broadway Meat Co., which had been in his family since 1890.

With help from state Sen. Larry E. Haines, developer Martin K. P. Hill has persuaded the state Department of Transportation to remove a long-standing obstacle to construction of a highway railroad crossing that is vital for completion of his North Carroll Farms IV project in Hampstead.Last month's action removes the condition that a railroad crossing at Greenmount Church Road be closed before Hill may build another crossing at Farm Woods Lane to create the main access to his planned 220-unit development.

With an unusual dispensation from security-conscious CSX Transportation, Gov. Martin O'Malley was permitted to ride along in the gleaming new MARC locomotive that made a maiden trip from Locust Point to Camden Station on Wednesday. But he had to temporarily give up his ever-present BlackBerry. As the state transportation secretary, the head of Maryland Transit Administration and other dignitaries followed in a separate car, the governor rode shotgun on the 15-minute crawl from a CSX rail yard to a news conference where the $3.5 million, state-of-the-art diesel locomotive made its ceremonial debut.

President Barack Obama turned to Maryland for another high-level appointment Friday as the White House announced that he intends to name Maryland Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari to the No. 2 position in the U.S. Department of Transportation. In choosing Porcari, Obama has selected one of the few state transportation secretaries whose portfolio includes all the major modes of travel - highways, aviation, mass transit, maritime commerce and rail freight. If he clears the required background checks and is confirmed by the Senate, Porcari would serve as deputy to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, a former Illinois congressman and a Republican.

Wish list in hand, Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith Jr. asked state transportation officials yesterday for millions of dollars to pay for improvements to roads, bridges and train stations, but a tough economy means he will not get everything he wants. In a meeting in Towson, Smith told John D. Porcari, Maryland's secretary of transportation, that with an expected influx of residents under the military's Base Realignment and Closure process, "it is imperative that we have the appropriate infrastructure to accommodate the new residents and jobs that we anticipate adding to this area."

After nearly two years of negotiation with Amtrak, the Maryland Transit Administration happily added evening MARC commuter train service between Baltimore and Washington one year ago. With high gasoline prices, the rail line had lured record numbers of new customers, and the expansion offered two additional round-trips' worth of relief to standing-room-only crowds. This month, officials announced they will temporarily suspend the new service beginning in January - not from a lack of riders but from a lack of money.

There is a golden hour between life and death. If you are critically injured, you have less than 60 minutes to survive." That's R. Adams Cowley, the pioneering physician and architect of trauma medicine who founded the nation's first shock trauma center in Baltimore, explaining the defining element of trauma care. It's because of Dr. Cowley's ground-breaking work that the Maryland State Police flew their first medevac transport in 1969. In the years since, medical advances have extended the golden hour in some instances, but the helicopter unit's work has continued to be founded on the concept.

In a shift away from highways-first transportation policies, top elected officials in the Baltimore region have decided to direct about $340 million in previously unallocated revenue over 20 years entirely toward mass transit projects. The action by the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board comes in response to protests from citizen advisers and transit advocates that its previous long-range plan, called Transportation Outlook 2035, was too heavily weighted in favor of road projects.

State Sen. Ulysses Currie has repeatedly intervened with state agencies since at least 2003 on behalf of Shoppers Food and Pharmacy, involving himself in the minute details of its business, such as traffic light installations, roadside improvements and other projects near the grocery chain's stores, according to thousands of documents reviewed by The Sun. Currie, the Prince George's Democrat who chairs the powerful Budget and Taxation Committee, worked...

Police and state transportation officials urged lawmakers yesterday to expand the use of speed cameras in Maryland, saying they want to save lives, not raise revenues. Baltimore City and Howard County are among the local governments seeking to join Montgomery County with state legislation authorizing deployment of cameras to catch speeders. Local and state officials told members of the House Environmental Matters Committee that the devices have proven effective in reducing speeding and accidents and that they are more economical than posting a policeman on the roadside.

Another money grab by the nanny state Yet again it appears that the government is trying to protect us from ourselves while putting its hands in our pockets. The latest red herring, speeding cameras, was presented to us by state Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari in a way that plucks at our heartstrings ("Cameras proposed to catch speeders," Dec. 1). However, if this truly is not an issue about money but safety, may I suggest that instead of being fined when caught speeding near work zones by one of these cameras, drivers should be issued a point or two on their licenses?

A plan to transform the MARC commuter rail service into a fully functional, seven-days-a-week urban transit system would cost an estimated $3.9 billion over the next three decades, according to an outline released yesterday by the Maryland Transit Administration. The plan, first reported by The Sun on Monday, would extend the service from Delaware to Virginia while more than tripling the current capacity of the overcrowded train system. The $3.9 billion figure is especially imposing because it is expressed in 2007 dollars.