​Temporary Demonstration Project Uses Traffic Calming Measures to Reduce Speed and Improve Pedestrian Safety 

HAGERSTOWN, MD (August 23, 2024) – The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration is partnering with the City of Hagerstown to install a temporary demonstration project along US 40 (Dual Highway) from N. Cannon Avenue to E. Washington Avenue beginning Sunday. The temporary changes, designed to improve safety for pedestrians and all roadway users, include narrower lanes, speed cushions to calm traffic, hardened centerlines to calm left turning traffic and high visibility or continental crosswalk markings.

Installation of the temporary improvements should be in place by Wednesday, weather permitting. The work will require some intermittent single-lane closures both eastbound and westbound between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. The improvements will remain in place through November as data is collected on the effectiveness of the new features.

The initiative is part of the State Highway Administration’s partnership with local agencies and the nonprofit Smart Growth America to deploy demonstration projects this summer in areas with a known history of crashes. As efforts are made to make highways safer for multimodal use, the projects will help identify methods to control speed and improve safety for pedestrians, cyclists and all other users.

The City of Hagerstown received a $22,000 grant to implement this “quick build” project with a focus on addressing known safety issues and collecting data to help to advance innovative solutions to accommodate all modes and improve safety for everyone.

The City of Hagerstown developed the project through the Smart Growth America Complete Streets Leadership Academy, which provides workshops and other resources. Other areas deploying quick build projects through the academy partnership include Howard County and the Town of Bel Air in Harford County. Learn more here.

This initiative advances Maryland’s new Complete Streets ​policy, a program of the Moore-Miller Administration dedicated to reducing traffic crashes and fatalities by creating a safe environment for all road users.