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Tag: maryland department of transportation

  • Out-of-state speed camera violators might have to pay up under new bill being considered by Md. – WTOP News

    Right now, out of state drivers might get tickets for speed cameras around the state of Maryland, but it’s often hard to get them to pay up.

    Maryland lawmakers will consider new reciprocity agreements with other states around speed camera violations.

    Right now, out-of-state drivers might get tickets for speed cameras around the state of Maryland, but it’s often hard to get them to pay up. In fact, hundreds of thousands of people ticketed by cameras for speeding through Maryland highway work zones have simply ignored the tickets with little consequence.

    The number of people who have done so similarly with tickets from county and municipal governments remains unknown.

    It’s possible that could all change.

    A bill that state lawmakers will consider in Annapolis, at the behest of the governor’s office and the Maryland Department of Transportation, would allow the state to begin entering into what are known as “reciprocity agreements” with other jurisdictions. That means someone from out of state who blows by a speed camera in Maryland and ignores the ticket would now have to worry about being able to reregister their vehicle in their home state if Maryland reaches an agreement with that jurisdiction.

    The flip side is someone who zooms through a speed camera in the District and ignores the fine would face similar consequences in Maryland. D.C. leaders have been pleading for this for years.

    “We do have agreements with peer states for things like speed infractions or other types of roadway infractions, for citations that are produced by the Maryland State Police,” said Joe McAndrew, assistant secretary for project development and delivery at the Maryland Department of Transportation.

    The only data on unpaid camera tickets the state has are from the cameras it operates in highway work zones.

    “Since 2010, we’ve had 770,000 unpaid work zone speed enforcement citations,” McAndrew said. “Sixty-three percent are attributed to out-of-state vehicles.”

    He also admitted that the state has talked with members of the D.C. Council about the potential of a reciprocity agreement.

    “We have porous borders. Our roads connect,” McAndrew said. “And we’d like to make sure that what we would expect one to do inside of the state of Maryland, our residents would do the same in D.C. or other peer states as well.”

    However, McAndrew said this isn’t about money but safety, citing data that he said proves speed and stop sign cameras make roads safer.

    “Roadway fatalities and serious crashes result and get more severe as speeds increase,” McAndrew said. “So, if we can decrease the speed, we have a greater likelihood that one will not die, and that property damage and bodily harm will be reduced.”

    While the governor’s office is the one pushing this bill, historically, the legislature has been reluctant to expand speed camera powers too quick. The Senate version of the legislation has its first hearing scheduled for next week.

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    © 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    John Domen

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  • Purple Line hits milestone ahead of 2027 opening – WTOP News

    Maryland’s Purple Line project is one step closer to completion, as officials said the “28th and final light-rail vehicle” has arrived ahead of schedule.

    Maryland’s Purple Line project is one step closer to completion, as officials said the “28th and final light-rail vehicle” has arrived ahead of schedule.

    “This milestone underscores the tremendous progress the Purple Line has made in 2025,” Purple Line Senior Project Director Ray Biggs II said in a news release.

    Each 142-foot train can transport up to 430 passengers, including seating for 80, and accommodate eight wheelchairs and eight bikes. The vehicles were built by CAF in Spain and assembled in Elmira, New York.

    The light rail vehicles are one of the longest in the U.S., according to the Maryland Department of Transportation’s Maryland Transit Administration. It said the final vehicle was delivered Nov. 19.

    “Every milestone we reach brings us closer to delivering a more accessible and better-connected region,” Biggs said.

    The MDTA said the Purple Line is now 84.6% complete, with all rail installed in Prince George’s County and more than 148,000 feet of the 193,100 feet of track laid overall.

    The 16-mile, 21-station light rail line will connect Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, linking to Metro’s Red, Green and Orange lines, plus MARC, Amtrak and local bus services.

    After years of delays, the Purple Line is expected to open in 2027.

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    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    Matt Small

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  • Sensitive data stolen from Maryland Department of Transportation reportedly up for auction – WTOP News

    A ransomware group claims it hacked the Maryland Department of Transportation and is now selling sensitive, personal data on the dark web.

    A ransomware group claims it hacked the Maryland Department of Transportation and is now selling sensitive, personal data on the dark web.

    The website Daily Dark Web first reported the auction. The Rhysida ransomware group claims it has the full names, birth dates and home addresses of transportation agency employees. It shared images of a Maryland driver’s license, passport, Social Security card and other sensitive documents.

    Part of the text reads, “Open your wallets and be ready to buy exclusive data.”

    The auction for the data ends in less than a week and the starting price is 30 Bitcoin, which is worth more than $3 million.

    In a statement to WTOP, Maryland Transit Administration spokesperson Veronica Battisti said, “The Maryland Transit Administration can confirm incident-related data loss at this point in our investigation.”

    “At this time we are unable to disclose specific or additional details regarding what data has been lost because of the sensitivity of the ongoing investigation. If it is found that personal information has been taken, the affected individuals will be notified by the State in accordance with State law and we will take appropriate actions and provide guidance on recommended actions,” Battisti said in a statement to WTOP.

    The state’s information technology department is working with third-party cyber experts to investigate the breach.

    According to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Rhysida has been targeting the education, health care, manufacturing, information technology and government sectors since 2023.

    Editor’s Note: The article has been updated to clarify that the investigation is ongoing as to whether personal information has been taken. 

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    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    Linh Bui

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  • Beltway in the dark: More than 300 streetlights out along the busy highway – WTOP News

    Beltway in the dark: More than 300 streetlights out along the busy highway – WTOP News

    A drive along the Capital Beltway showed almost 20% of streetlights were not working. A Maryland highway official said that while lighting is essential, one big problem remains.

    WTOP drove along Interstate 95’s Outer Loop earlier this week and found that it appears that more than 18% of the road’s streetlights are not turning on at night.
    (WTOP/Mike Murillo)

    WTOP/Mike Murillo

    In an email to WTOP, MDOT SHA spokesperson Shanteé Felix said, “In the month of March, we had 90% of the highway lighting systems operational on highways in Montgomery and Prince George’s [counties].”
    (WTOP/Mike Murillo)

    WTOP/Mike Murillo

    In all, WTOP tallied at least 300 streetlights that were dark on both sides of the Beltway that were visible from the Outer Loop.
    (WTOP/Mike Murillo)

    WTOP/Mike Murillo

    In early April, a WTOP staffer noticed an unusual number of streetlights were out along the Beltway in Maryland, with more than 60 spotted between Interstate 95 and the exit to Connecticut Avenue. This left large sections of the interstate where streetlights exist, in the dark.

    Was it just one section of highway being plagued by the outages?

    On April 15, WTOP decided to drive only the Outer Loop from the Woodrow Wilson Bridge to the American Legion Bridge — and discovered the 60 downed lights just scratched the surface for the total number of lights out.

    In all, we tallied at least 300 lights that were dark on both sides of the Beltway that were visible from the Outer Loop.

    According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration, the nighttime fatality rate during crashes is three times higher than during daylight hours. The FHA also said that adequate lighting along roads can reduce crashes by 42%.

    Before the drive illustrated an issue more widespread than initially thought, the Maryland State Highway Administration issued a statement, saying that an initial report from the WTOP staffer has been passed on to its team.

    Derek Gunn, an MDOT SHA transportation engineer who oversees the area that includes the Beltway, told WTOP while lighting is seen as a “critical part of our infrastructure,” one big problem remains: the system is old.

    “It’s an aging infrastructure,” Gunn said. “It’s approaching, if not well over, 60 years old.”

    Gunn named other issues that affect lighting: “For example, rodents and vermin. You’re dealing with environmental issues. And it’s just tougher to maintain an underground system.”

    He said work continues to not only repair the downed lights, but also convert them to newer, longer lasting LED technology.

    Gunn also said the state conducts monthly surveys to see if any of the lights are down.

    “I would say that our inspectors and our crews, they’re working around the clock,” Gunn said. “They’re working day and night, to get all our lights up and running as quickly as possible.”

    After speaking with WTOP, the SHA investigated the number of lights that were out and provided a response.

    “In the month of March, we had 90% of the highway lighting systems operational on highways in Montgomery and Prince George’s [counties],” spokesperson Shanteé Felix said in an email to WTOP.

    On April 15, after the full nighttime drive along the Outer Loop, it appeared the problem was bigger than state officials realized. With 1,600 total lights, it appears that more than 18% of the road’s streetlights are not turning on at night. It’s not clear if those lights quit working since March.

    When questioned, the state provided another statement which spoke only of the initially reported outage.

    “We received a recent report the Beltway outages from [Maryland Route] 185 to MD 650 were addressed,” Felix wrote.

    This isn’t the first time WTOP has reported streetlight outages along Beltway. Just last year, a three-mile stretch between Connecticut Avenue and New Hampshire Avenue had malfunctioning lights.

    The state urges anyone who sees a streetlight out to report it on the Maryland Department of Transportation’s website.

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    Mike Murillo

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  • ‘Beer bottles, mattresses, ladders’: Maryland crews tackle cleanup of 17,000 miles of roadway – WTOP News

    ‘Beer bottles, mattresses, ladders’: Maryland crews tackle cleanup of 17,000 miles of roadway – WTOP News

    “Operation Clean Sweep” is the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration’s continuing effort to clear trash and debris from state roads.

    Crews spent hours picking their way along the shoulder of Interstate 370 in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and by noon, they had already filled huge trash bags full of what either falls or gets tossed from cars and trucks.

    It’s part of “Operation Clean Sweep,” the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration’s continuing effort to clear trash and debris from state roads. And the crews have a lot of ground to cover: MDOT SHA maintains more than 17,000 miles of non-tolled state roads.

    The cleanup isn’t just an issue of cosmetics. Large debris can create road hazards, causing cars to swerve as they come up on anything from piles of documents to furniture in the highway. Smaller items can collect in the shoulder of travel lanes, clogging drainage outlets. And items can get washed into area creeks and streams, ending up in the Chesapeake Bay.

    Carey Mowatt is a 13-year veteran of MDOT SHA road crews. (WTOP/Kate Ryan)

    Carey Mowatt, a 13-year veteran of MDOT SHA road crews, ticked off some of the most commonly found items.

    “Beer bottles, mattresses, ladders,” and then, he said, there are the animals that are struck by the side of the road. Deer are common, and he said along Route 28 in the Rockville area, the remains of coyotes have also been found.

    Safety is always on the minds of workers. Signs warning that litter pickup is underway appear on the roadway before drivers spot the line of orange cones signaling that lanes are narrowing and they need to move over. As the teams move along the shoulder with trash bags and tools that allow them to snag all kinds of trash, the huge, orange MDOT trucks move alongside, providing an added buffer.

    As one crew member picks up a 40-ounce beer bottle from the side of the road, Mowatt said there are times the repetitive nature of the job can get to him. But he said that’s when he keeps in mind that the work is important.

    “I’ve got to reassure our staff that we’re making the community a better place and keep a positive attitude so they come out and do a good job,” he said.

    Mowatt said it appears there are times trucks lose items that aren’t secured as they pass through the region, but many times, trash gets tossed from passenger vehicles. His teams rarely catch anyone in the act of littering.

    “But we have gotten calls from customers saying they’ve seen people doing stuff, illegally dumping and stuff like that,” he said.

    Aside from urging people to keep trash where it belongs — and off roadways — Mowatt asks drivers to “slow down, move over and be patient.”

    Mowatt said, from time to time, drivers will become annoyed, but “we do have people that give us a thumbs-up and honk and tell us we’re doing a good job.”

    And, he said, looking at the crew’s handiwork from the morning’s job can be satisfying to see when there’s a large swath of grassy, trash-free roadway and know he and the people he works with make that happen.

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

    Kate Ryan

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