The Maryland Department of Transportation, through its Commuter Choice Maryland Program, recently launched a new transportation demand management initiative designed to promote alternative transportation options for businesses and commuters along a five-mile segment of MD 295 – helping improve travel reliability amid impacts from the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in 2024.
[Above photo by the Maryland DOT]
Commuter Choice Maryland is a statewide Maryland DOT program dedicated to reducing traffic congestion and improving commutes for all Marylanders. The program supports employers and commuters with resources that make commuting easier, safer, cheaper and more sustainable.
The agency said that the MD 295 pilot program will partner with employers to encourage alternatives to driving alone; with Maryland DOT using targeted outreach and employer engagement to educate businesses and employees on available commuting options and incentives. The initiative is designed to help employers along the corridor, between West Nursery Road and I-95, provide best-in-class commuter benefits that support employee retention while identifying which strategies have the greatest impact on easing congestion.
[Editor’s note: This is the latest of several new initiatives launched by Maryland DOT under this program to encourage alternative commuting options in the City of Baltimore and other areas of the state.]
The MD 295 corridor is home to a diverse mix of work sites, including schools and medical facilities that support essential services. However, since the Key Bridge collapsed nearly two years ago, that corridor has experienced reduced travel reliability and slower speeds.
As a result, Maryland DOT adjusted construction schedules, modified traffic patterns, plus introduced new incentives to ease congestion and improve safety – with this corridor pilot program building on those efforts by promoting commuting alternatives.
“It is critical to help commuters find solutions to reduce stress and congestion – both after the Key Bridge collapse and during the rebuild,” said Katie Thompson, Maryland DOT’s acting secretary, in a statement. “That includes providing real-time information, expanding travel alternatives and connecting commuters with new resources and incentives.”
