Well, welcome everybody.

So I guess I can take something out.

So this is I believe the Maryland Department of Transportation Consolidated Transportation Program.

I'm trying to turn it over to you, I believe, Mr.

Griffinson.

Yes.

Well, good evening and welcome to the Maryland Department Transportation's Consolidated Transportation Program Tour known as the CTP.

My name is again is Trey Dickerson, and I'm the administrator for the Office of Transportation here in Howard County.

Tonight we're joined by MDOT Secretary Thompson and her team who will be discussing the draft CTP.

I'd also like to welcome our state and local officials who are joining us this evening.

They'll have the opportunity to ask questions after MDOT's presentation concludes.

With that being said, I turn it over to County Exec, Dr.

Calvin Ball.

Thank you so much, and thank you all for being here.

Good evening, Secretary Thompson, members of the Maryland Department of Transportation team, our state delegation and county council.

Thank you for joining us here in Howard County to discuss the state's six-year transportation program and the investments that continue to shape our transportation system.

Our vision for transportation in Howard County is to create a safe, connected and multimodal transportation system that serves people of all ages and bikes.

That vision is grounded in our strategic road safety plan and complete streets policy, which guide our efforts to reduce serious injuries, fatalities, while expanding safe and reliable options for walking, biking, transit, and driving.

That work is also reinforced by our general plan, HOCO by design, and our Gateway Master Plan, which continue to guide our investments in a transportation system that supports safety, access, regional connectivity, economic development, and the long-term needs of our communities.

As I prepared for this evening, which is my final CTP meeting with MDOT as your Howard County executive, I reflected on the progress that we have made together.

During the last eight years, MDOT has been an important partner in improving transportation throughout Howard County.

State support has helped us invest in public transit, roadway and bridge projects, pedestrian and bicycle improvements, safety programs, and transportation demand management.

That partnership includes significant operating and capital support for our transit system, funding for new vehicles and bus stop improvements, and major roadway investments throughout the county, including projects at Maryland 32 and Maryland 103.

MDOT support has also included the annual investment needed to maintain our state roadway network, repaving roads, filling potholes, maintaining signals and signs, and completing the day-to-day work that helps keep our transportation system both safe and reliable.

We are especially grateful for the ongoing work of our partners in SHA District 7 office, whose staff are on the ground every day, responding to maintenance needs, coordinating projects, and helping us address issues as they arise.

Please know that Howard County deeply appreciates the relationship and the powerful partnership, as well as the work of MDOT staff who have helped move these projects forward.

The impact of this partnership can be seen throughout the county along Route 1.

New pedestrian signals, crosswalks, sidewalks, and shared use facilities have improved safety and access.

Earlier this month, as you see, we joined Secretary Thompson and Administrator Pines to cut the ribbon on the final two projects completed in Elkridge.

When fully constructed, this PSAP project will deliver more than two miles of contiguous multimodal facilities along the Southern Route 1 corridor.

Finally, we're grateful to SHA for the collaboration on developing our Elkridge Bike and Pedestrian Priority Area Plan, which has identified more than a dozen safety improvements in our Elk Ridge area.

US 1 remains one of Howard County's highest priority corridors for safety improvements, and it is also one of the clearest examples of the progress we can make when the state and the county work together.

Looking ahead, we ask MDOT to continue that strong partnership by advancing the pedestrian safety action plan, coordinating closely with our safe streets and roads for all work, supporting implementation of the Elk Ridge Bicycle and Pedestrian Priority Area Recommendations, continuing coordination around the US One Design Manual, and helping us address priority access and safety improvements along the corridor.

To that end, I want to thank MDOT for including more than $4 million in the draft CTP to support construction and implementation of the pedestrian safety action plan projects along Route 1.

Now this year marks an important milestone for regional transit in Howard County.

The service connects downtown Columbia, the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, and Mapalon with Montgomery County and the broader regional transit network in the DC region.

This is the result of a significant regional partnership and a major local commitment to transit.

We appreciate the cooperation with MDOT that helped bring this service to Howard County.

We know that launching the service is not the end of the work.

It gives us a stronger foundation for the next phase of improvements along US 1.

I mean US 29.

Now that FLASH is operating, we must ensure that the US 29 corridor supports safe, reliable, and efficient transit service while also improving conditions for everyone who uses the roadway.

River's Edge remains a significant operational and safety concern, particularly because of its location near the Maryland 32 interchange.

We also continue to see need for planning and design work on US 29 between Johns Hopkins Road and Seneca Drive.

And while we are disappointed that improvements in this important area were not included in the draft CTP this year, we are asking MDOT to partner with us on continued corridor planning that addresses safety congestion, transit reliability, and future BRT supportive improvements together.

As we advance smarter transportation solutions and land use policies, Howard County is focused on the future.

That is why we have adopted the Gateway Master Plan, a visionary plan of more than 1,0100 acres of commercial, office, and industrial space in Columbia.

With the adoption of the Master Plan in 2025, we are now focused on implementation.

Transportation access is essential to realizing the vision of Gateway as a major innovation and employment district that is better connected to the rest of Howard County, the region, and the great state of Maryland.

The transportation priorities include future access to Maryland 175, improved connections to Maryland 108, shared use connections at Snowdon River Parkway and Maryland 175, and a long-term multimodal connection using the former CSX Corridor.

We ask MDOT to work with us on the planning and design needed to move these connections from master plan toward implementation.

Now there is no greater example of state and local partnership than our work to deliver transit solution for our residents and workforce.

Since I have served as your county executive.

From the past eight years, that support has included more than 30 million dollars in operating assistance for local transit, 2.8 million in capital support, and nearly one million in transit innovation grants.

These investments have helped launch our HOCO Rapid Ride microtransit service, make critical bus stops improvements, implement new fair technology, and deliver other improvements that have strengthened our RTA system.

That investment is producing real results.

RTA ridership has increased by more than 13% from FY 2019 to FY 2026.

Substantially exceeding pre-pandemic ridership levels.

And we continue to expand regional connections along, including Route 505 service to Catensville.

As we look ahead, sustained state operating and capital support will be critical to maintaining this momentum, keeping service reliable, and continuing to expand local and regional transit connections.