OPPE is responsible for short and long-range highway and multimodal planning; project planning; environmental planning; capital programming and scheduling; performance-based planning; and an asset management program and highway statistics, including production of maps and maintenance of the Administration's primary highway information database.
The input for this process is comprised of environmental and engineering inventories, statistical data relating to traffic, road and bridge inventories, planning and finance.
The end products consist of long-range plans for the several State Highway systems, location and design approval for major projects in the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT SHA) capital program, the compilation of MDOT SHA's capital program, a statistical database, a Geographic Information System, an automated Traffic Monitoring System, and coordinated environmental planning.
OPPE consists of these divisions:
The Project Management Division (PMD) conducts project management for all major projects in pursuit of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and general location and design approvals. It develops engineering alternatives for major projects and conducts engineering quality assurance reviews for consultant engineering products on major projects. PMD works together with the Environmental Planning Division (EPLD) to develop the required environmental documentation to obtain NEPA approvals, conducting public hearings and meetings, and coordinating project reviews with federal and state environmental agencies, and local governments. The division also conducts planning, corridor, feasibility and other special studies to identify potential projects that could be evaluated under the NEPA process. It is an OPPE sub-unit.
The Environmental Planning Division (EPLD) ensures compliance with federal and state environmental requirements (National Environmental Policy Act/Maryland Environmental Policy Act) and related laws and regulations. It obtains project-specific environmental approvals for all MDOT SHA projects.
The division does the following:
- develops environmental inventories
- coordinates project reviews with the public and environmental regulatory/resource agencies
- conducts public hearings and meetings
- works with project managers/engineers to develop and evaluate engineering alternatives and ways to minimize and avoid impacts.
It ensures that the possible economic, social, cultural and natural environmental effects of highway construction are identified and considered, and that final decisions on highway projects are made in the public interest. It also conducts a variety of environmental technical analyses (natural, community effects, air and noise quality, cultural resources, etc.), prepares and circulates environmental documentation for reviews/approvals. To these ends, it works closely with PMD and other MDOT SHA offices.
It is an OPPE sub-unit.
The Data Services Division (DSD)has two sections:
- Data Collection and Management
- Mapping and Data Development
The
Data Collection and Management section is responsible for the collection of road inventory of highway information for all publicly maintained roads in Maryland, coordinating with state and local government agencies to identify mileage and other changes that affect road networks, updating and validating the road inventory database of highway mileage and other physical and administrative attributes to reflect current conditions, and maintaining MDOT SHA’s GIS centerline for all publicly maintained roads in Maryland.
It is further responsible for:
- compiling and publishing annual highway mileage summary reports, which are used in the allocation of Highway User Revenue Funds to local jurisdictions
- compiling and reporting Certified Public Mileage and
Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) data to the
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) each year as required by law and for federal-aid funding
- supporting the One Maryland One Centerline project
- supporting the Traffic Monitoring Program as required by federal law for collection, analysis, summary, reporting and retention of highway and transit-related person and vehicular traffic data.
This section also manages the construction and maintenance of Automated Traffic Recorders throughout the State that feed the various required reporting and mapping needs.
The
Mapping and Data Development section compiles, reviews, edits and publishes
various mapping products, including Maryland’s Official Highway Map, Grid Maps, Index Maps and County and Municipal Maps, Bicycle Map, Trucker’s Map, Scenic Routes Map, Truck Volume Maps, Traffic Volume Maps. It produces and annotates mapping products and GIS applications.
IPPD is a hub of data collection and analysis for planning, design, operations decisions and investments in freight, asset management, and mobility at SHA. Core IPPD responsibilities include:
- Implementing performance-based planning and programming by developing statewide data informed targets;
- tracking transportation performance trends;
- managing the effective investment of federal dollars on state highways; and
- integrating results into key plans and initiatives, like the MDOT Attainment Report (AR), Department of Budget and Management’s Managing for Results (MFR) and the Governor’s Office of Key Performance Indicators.
- Conducting research and developing tools to inform decision making.
- IPPD’s Climate Change Vulnerability Viewer (CCVV) is a powerful tool that models coastal flooding impact based on sea-level rise projections, allowing users to make informed decisions based on flood risk.
- The Truck Parking Visualization Tool (TPVT) is an innovative use of big data to look into truck parking behaviors, allowing planners, transportation partners and stakeholders to make decisions based on large scale observations.
- For mobility related decision making, the Maryland Roadway Performance Tool (MRPT) combines economic, traffic, environment and asset management data in a geospatial environment to inform both micro- and macro- level transportation planning decisions.
The division develops and produces SHA's portion of the
Consolidated Transportation Program (CTP). PDD leadership includes projecting SHA's six-year Capital Program funding levels and allocating the appropriate amounts of federal and state funds to support SHA’s program. The division develops quarterly updates to SHA’s Capital Program for both major projects and system preservation projects, and monitors program forecasts and expenditure levels. The division plays a key role preparing for the annual CTP tour meeting with local governments and elected officials. In addition, it analyzes the fiscal ramifications of federal and state funding changes, and proposed funding changes to individual projects and fund programs.
The division also develops and manages the Statewide Planning & Research Program’s planning component, which includes an annual work program and significant federal funding for numerous planning-related functions and projects to support SHA’s planning responsibilities..
Regional and Intermodal Planning Division
The division is responsible for the
regional and long-range planning to establish the state highway portion of the CTP and integration of MDOT SHA's program with local and regional transportation plans.
The division coordinates with the Department of Transportation, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, the counties, and local jurisdictions to develop intermodal planning reports, establish improvement priorities, and complete long-range planning and systems analyses. The division is the main planning liaison with federal agencies and other State agencies. The division manages the
Transportation Alternatives, Safe Routes to School,
Recreational Trails Program (RTP),
Park and Ride, Access Management, Pedestrian Roadway Safety Audits, Bicycle and Pedestrian Priority Areas, and Managed Lane Programs.
The division coordinates:
It is an OPPE sub-unit.
The division develops existing and future traffic data and analysis to fulfill federal requirements and complete technical studies in the planning, design or construction phases for all MDOT SHA transportation projects.
The division leads programs in congestion management; prepares the annual MDOT SHA Mobility Report, as well as before and after-studies, which are crucial to evaluating the performance of our state highway system; and administers the Maryland Statewide Transportation Model (MSTM).
The division conducts research partnerships with the University of Maryland, American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO), Transportation Research Board and FHWA. Traffic data provided by this division is critical to the outcome of all major transportation projects.
It is an OPPE sub-unit.
The Grants and Programs Management Division (GPMD) provides project delivery support and program management for active transportation initiatives, discretionary grants and bicycle/pedestrian safety projects in collaboration with local partners, SHA, and other MDOT modes. GPMD administers federal grant programs and manages a diverse portfolio that includes Transportation Alternatives, Recreational Trails, Scenic Byways, discretionary grants, Congressional Earmarks and Bike/Ped Safety and Coordination. In addition, GPMD leads SHA’s bicycle and pedestrian-related policy development — such as Context Driven initiatives — and keeps MDOT and SHA leadership informed on local priorities.
The Historic Preservation Division ensures Maryland’s historic resources are considered in project planning and that SHA complies with the National Historic Preservation Act, the Maryland Historical Trust Act and related laws and regulations. Historic resources can include historic buildings, districts, archaeological sites, cemeteries and culturally important places. The division has a team of archaeologists and architectural historians who coordinate reviews and find solutions that balance system safety and improvements with the preservation of Maryland’s tangible heritage.