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Tag: mdot sha

  • 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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