The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration's (MDOT SHA) MD 404 highway widening project has been recognized with an America's Transportation Award.

The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration's (MDOT SHA) MD 404 highway widening project has been recognized with an America's Transportation Award.

Sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), Socrata, AAA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the 11th annual America's Transportation Awards competition selected the $158 million MD 404 (Shore Highway) project as the best in the northeastern states in the Quality of Life/ Community Development Category for medium projects (costing between $25-$200 million).

The award lauds MD 404 project's safety enhancements for residents and seasonal motorists, as well as overall improved operations and congestion relief.

"State DOTs are committed to making America safer, better and stronger by improving connections between communities both large and small, urban and rural," said John Schroer, president of AASHTO and commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Transportation. "The transportation projects in this competition are part of a national multimodal network that is moving millions of people and tons of goods where they need to go every day."

Answering Gov. Larry Hogan's landmark challenge to improve safety, reduce congestion and improve MD 404 across three counties by Thanksgiving 2017, MDOT SHA opened the four-lane divided highway with median and shoulders as promised.

The 11.3-mi. dualized MD 404 provides a direct route between U.S. 50 and the town of Denton, enhancing safety and operations for residents and reducing traffic congestion caused by high season peaks associated with summer resort traffic.

With extensive outreach to the community, construction began in summer 2016 with an expedited design-build contract and innovative partnership with industry partners — shortening the standard construction timetable by 18 months.

"The American's Transportation Award for MD 404 is a testament to the dedication, determination and ingenuity of the project team, who exemplify MDOT SHA's commitment to bring transformative change and a positive customer experience to all Maryland travelers," said Greg Slater, MDOT SHA administrator. "At MDOT SHA, we are becoming a national leader in transportation by challenging the status quo, embracing innovation and modernization, and delivering real, lasting results."

The America's Transportation Award competition will continue throughout the summer. MD 404 could be included as a "Top 12" finalist, which will compete for the Grand Prize, selected by an independent panel of industry judges, and the Socrata People's Choice Award, chosen by the public through online voting. The top two winners also receive $10,000 cash awards, to be donated to a charity or scholarship of the state DOT's choosing.

Online voting begins Aug. 30. The winners of the top two awards will be announced Sept. 23, at the AASHTO Annual Meeting in Atlanta.

For more information, visit AmericasTransportationAwards.org.

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