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Record of Proceedings

Annapolis Transportation Committee Meeting - October 14, 2026

City Council — Wednesday, October 14, 2026
BodyAnnapolis, Maryland
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, October 14, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:44:18

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:00

I call the regular

Speaker 2

0:01

meeting of the transportation committee to order today wins the October to 14th, 2026 at 4405.

0:10

Next on the agenda is the roll call.

0:12

Alderman Savage.

Speaker 3

0:14

Present.

Speaker 2

0:14

Alderman Shandemeyer.

0:16

Present.

0:17

And we also have Alderman Thorpe

Speaker 4

0:20

here.

Speaker 2

0:21

Present.

0:21

Okay.

0:23

Next on agenda is approval of the agenda.

0:26

Do I have a motion to approve the agenda?

Speaker 5

0:28

So moved.

Speaker 2

0:29

Is there a second?

0:30

All in favor.

0:31

Aye.

0:32

Thank you.

0:33

All the persons submitted motion.

0:35

Next on agenda is the business and miscellaneous approval of the minutes.

0:41

Do we have a motion to approve the special meeting minutes from September to 16th 2026 meeting?

Speaker 3

0:50

Second.

Unassigned speaker

0:50

All

Speaker 2

0:51

in favor.

0:53

Okay.

0:55

First on agenda will be the general discussion section for ID 159 26 Spar Creek Bridge maintenance.

Unassigned speaker

1:08

We

Speaker 2

1:08

are joined by a guest from the Merlin State Highway.

1:11

And they are joining us virtually.

1:13

And all the men, Shannemeyer, would like to give a little background on why we invited a Merlin State Highway Administration.

Speaker 5

1:21

Thank you.

1:34

The Spo Creek Bridge is, I believe, reaching the end of its useful life.

1:39

Breakdowns are becoming more frequent, and as heat waves are becoming more common in our area, I think it is important for us to have a good sense of understanding what the maintenance plan is, what potential replacement plans are, and how we can prevent this from happening in the future and get a new bridge, hopefully in the top foreseeable future.

2:07

And if not just keep our bridge operational.

Speaker 1

2:31

Did you see us now?

Speaker 5

2:34

There we go.

Speaker 1

2:35

There

Speaker 5

2:36

we go.

Speaker 1

2:37

Good evening, everybody.

2:39

Can you hear me?

Speaker 5

2:40

Yes.

2:40

Thank you.

Unassigned speaker

2:41

Hi,

Speaker 1

2:41

good evening.

2:42

I'm Kimberly Tran.

2:43

I'm the district engineer here at State Highway Administration for our District 5.

2:47

And we handle Anna Rundle County along with Calvert Charles and St.

2:50

Mary's County.

2:52

And here with me today, I have Kelly Bulware, who's our community relations manager, and Rod Thornton, who's from our office of structures, he's a deputy director of the inspections and remedial engineering division.

3:04

Um I do know that some questions were posed to us prior to this meeting, so we can try to put together answers to some of those questions.

3:11

I am going to be turning it over to Rod, who is more of our structures expert, to kind of address some of those questions and kind of go through the way the questions were asked and then open it up to you all for additional questions once once Rod's done.

3:25

So thank

Unassigned speaker

3:26

you.

Speaker 6

3:27

Okay.

3:27

Uh good afternoon, everyone.

3:29

Um the questions that we received, I guess, prior to this meeting, uh, was that number one was specifically went what went wrong on uh June 6th.

3:40

Um basically the root cause of the tender engaged the uh lock bars, which are the bars that are at the end or the nose of the span where the two interlocked together before the basket spans were completely seated.

3:54

Uh this is a process that they go through when they operate the bridge.

3:58

There's a sequence of buttons that they push, and during that stage, it's um imperative that they follow the limit pictures of all the indicators that are on their control panel.

4:09

Um so when this happened, basically the drive locks when the operator prematurely pushed the button for the nose locks to be engaged, those were driven into the opposite span, not aligned with the opening that's in the other side of the span, and therefore, after two attempts, the uh circuit breaker was blown on the system, which basically shuts down the bridge as a safety measure to prevent further damage to the bridge.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Parking Management███████████████████████████████████35%
Engineering And Infrastructure███████████████████████23%
Public Transit███████████████████19%
Transportation Safety███████████████15%
Procedural███3%
Public Safety██2%
Active Transportation██2%
Technology and Innovation█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Annapolis Transportation Committee Meeting - October 14, 2026

The Annapolis Transportation Committee met on October 14, 2026, at 4:05 PM. Chaired by Alderwoman Allsup-Johnson, the committee reviewed Spa Creek Bridge maintenance, legislation on residential driveway parking, a new bus pilot, parking reform, and contractor updates.

Spa Creek Bridge Maintenance (ID-159-26)

  • The Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) provided an update. Rod Thornton explained that the June 6, 2026, malfunction was caused by operator error, correcting information previously provided by the City’s emergency management office that suggested heat-related failures.
  • SHA reported the bridge has experienced seven call-out disruptions since 2022 (four operator errors, two mechanical malfunctions, one traffic gate issue). The bridge is in fair condition and not scheduled for replacement, but is maintained indefinitely.
  • Regarding bicycle infrastructure, SHA stated the bridge deck lacks the minimum five-foot width for a dedicated bike lane. They committed to continuing the discussion with the City Traffic Engineer on non-standard striping or buffer options.
  • Speakers: Alderman Schandelmeyer thanked SHA for the clarification and regretted the false impression of a heat wave failure. Alderman Savidge raised cyclist safety concerns and urged exploring non-standard lane options.

Legislation O-17-26: Right to Park in Front of Residential Private Driveways

  • The committee discussed legislation allowing legal occupants and guests to park in front of their own driveways on public streets, under specified conditions.
  • Amendment 1 (Sponsor’s Revised): Clarified the law does not permit parking on red curbs, included an Eastport exemption for specific streets with a one-year sunset, and established an administrative appeals process for tickets.
  • Amendment 6 (Concept by Ald. Huntley): Exempted Special Residential Parking Districts from the ordinance. The Office of Law noted this was not yet formally offered.
  • Speakers: Alderman Savidge supported the Eastport exemption due to narrow streets and ongoing safety reviews of traffic plans. Alderman Thorp confirmed the bill does not permit red curb parking.
  • Outcome: The committee unanimously voted to favorably recommend Amendment 1 (Revised), the concept of Amendment 6, and the full amended ordinance to the full City Council.

Transportation Department Update (ID-11-26)

  • Director Marcus Moore announced the “Blue Route” pilot bus service, starting November 2, 2026. It will run weekdays 7:00-10:00 AM and 4:00-7:00 PM from Eastport to Annapolis High School via Riva Road. The route serves the Harry S. Truman Park & Ride and offers free fares for K-12 students.
  • Speakers: Alderman Schandelmeyer criticized the route’s off-arterial deviations, arguing they contradict the Transit Development Plan and that microtransit or bikeshare should handle last-mile connectivity. He urged synchronization with school activity schedules and adding a Giant shopping center stop. Director Moore acknowledged the feedback, noting the route is a pilot and adjustments will be considered.

Parking Reform & Enforcement

  • A community forum (Oct 8) identified priorities: residential enforcement, consistent signage, and affordable employee parking.
  • Alderman Schandelmeyer reported constituent anger over aggressive ticketing near unmarked fire hydrants and crosswalks, stating that enforcement without markings feels like a revenue grab. She urged the city to mark hazards explicitly or issue warnings before tickets. She also requested mailed bus passes and an update on digital passes.
  • Director Moore acknowledged the enforcement concerns and outlined a plan to repaint red curbs through Public Works and outside vendors. He committed to investigating digital and mailed bus pass solutions.

Parking Contractor Updates

  • Premium Parking (Jason Parola): Reported a 98.1% secret shopper score for Hillman Garage, September peak occupancy of 85%, and a monthly average of 31%. Promo code redemptions increased 82% month-over-month.
  • Metropolis (John Kemp): Reported customer service scores above 90% for all garages. The company is rolling out a new permit and enforcement platform with easier multi-day visitor pass booking.
  • Discussion: Alderman Savage explored using low weekend occupancy and the circulator for employee parking. Director Moore noted past low ridership on late circulator runs but agreed to revisit the feasibility of extended hours.

Key Outcomes

  • Spa Creek Bridge: Informational item received. SHA will continue maintenance and coordination with City traffic engineers on bike accommodations.
  • O-17-26: Favorably recommended to full City Council with Amendments 1 and the concept of Amendment 6.
  • Blue Route Pilot: Set to launch November 2. Director Moore will refine routing and timings based on committee feedback and Education Commission coordination.
  • Parking Enforcement: Staff directed to improve marking of red curbs and review enforcement protocols. Update on bus pass distribution expected at a future meeting.

Meeting Transcript

I call the regular meeting of the transportation committee to order today wins the October to 14th, 2026 at 4405. Next on the agenda is the roll call. Alderman Savage. Present. Alderman Shandemeyer. Present. And we also have Alderman Thorpe here. Present. Okay. Next on agenda is approval of the agenda. Do I have a motion to approve the agenda? So moved. Is there a second? All in favor. Aye. Thank you. All the persons submitted motion. Next on agenda is the business and miscellaneous approval of the minutes. Do we have a motion to approve the special meeting minutes from September to 16th 2026 meeting? Second. All in favor. Okay. First on agenda will be the general discussion section for ID 159 26 Spar Creek Bridge maintenance. We are joined by a guest from the Merlin State Highway. And they are joining us virtually. And all the men, Shannemeyer, would like to give a little background on why we invited a Merlin State Highway Administration. Thank you. The Spo Creek Bridge is, I believe, reaching the end of its useful life. Breakdowns are becoming more frequent, and as heat waves are becoming more common in our area, I think it is important for us to have a good sense of understanding what the maintenance plan is, what potential replacement plans are, and how we can prevent this from happening in the future and get a new bridge, hopefully in the top foreseeable future. And if not just keep our bridge operational. Did you see us now? There we go. There we go. Good evening, everybody. Can you hear me? Yes. Thank you. Hi, good evening. I'm Kimberly Tran. I'm the district engineer here at State Highway Administration for our District 5. And we handle Anna Rundle County along with Calvert Charles and St. Mary's County. And here with me today, I have Kelly Bulware, who's our community relations manager, and Rod Thornton, who's from our office of structures, he's a deputy director of the inspections and remedial engineering division. Um I do know that some questions were posed to us prior to this meeting, so we can try to put together answers to some of those questions.

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