Dover Bridge, Severn River Bridge Projects Honored by AASHTO, Socrata and Other National Organizations

(July 12, 2019) – Two Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) projects were honored this week with regional awards in the 2019 America’s Transportation Awards competition. The agency’s project replacing the Dover Bridge won in the Quality of Life/Community Development, Medium Project category, while a project to increase capacity on the Severn River Bridge won in the Operations Excellence, Small Project category. The awards were presented Wednesday, July 10, at the Northeast Association of State Transportation Officials’ annual meeting, held in Wilmington, Del.

“Under Governor Larry Hogan’s leadership, MDOT is boldly rebuilding transportation infrastructure throughout the state and delivering meaningful projects to our customers,” said MDOT Secretary Pete K. Rahn.

The $65.4 million Dover Bridge Project along MD 331 on the Eastern Shore replaced an historic swing bridge that, when opened for river traffic, rerouted drivers up to 45 minutes out of their way. These openings impacted residents’ mobility and could delay emergency responders. The new bridge, completed a full year ahead of schedule, has two 12-foot-wide lanes and two 8-foot-wide shoulders. The 50-foot-high, fixed-span bridge allows marine vessels to pass without impeding motorists. The old bridge has been retained as a community fishing pier.

The $22.8 million project on US 50 over the Severn River Bridge was initiated to reduce traffic congestion in the eastbound direction, often exacerbated by beach-bound traffic during the peak summer season. Using the existing bridge footprint, MDOT SHA increased capacity from three 12-foot eastbound lanes, three 12-foot westbound lanes and a 3-foot median to four 11-foot eastbound lanes, three 11-foot westbound lanes and a 2-foot median.

“Our MDOT SHA bridge and operations teams took the Severn River Bridge challenge, met it head-on and found an innovative solution to deliver value to our customers – with dramatically reduced cost and construction impacts,” said MDOT SHA Administrator Greg Slater. “The improved Severn River Bridge reduces congestion and improves reliability in the Annapolis area for daily commuters and summer beach traffic.”

The 12th annual America’s Transportation Awards competition is sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), Socrata, AAA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. It was created to showcase important projects delivered by state departments of transportation. The nominated projects are making communities stronger, bolstering the economy and improving quality of life, all while utilizing innovative technology to achieve better and faster results. This year, 39 state transportation departments participated in the competition, nominating 81 projects. As regional winners, the MDOT SHA projects will be considered for the competition’s Top 12, to be announced in August.