Office of Traffic and Safety (OOTS)

Office of the Director

The Office of the Director is responsible for the overall direction and policy guidance of the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) Office of Traffic & Safety (OOTS) including the coordination of the program activities among OOTS divisions. The director's office supports OOTS divisions in personnel and safety, senior-level consultation and strategy, IT support and development, and financial management. The director’s office advises the Deputy Administrator, Operations in Hanover and the administrator about traffic and safety. Assistant District Engineers (ADEs) for Traffic are under direct supervision of the district engineer but report to the director for technical instructions. ADEs for traffic investigate traffic control problems, surveil the highway system for crashes and congestion, analyze problem areas, and prepare recommendations for relief.

The OOTS divisions are:

Traffic Operations

Traffic Engineering Design

Traffic Development and Support

Contracts and Finance

Motor Carrier

Traffic Operations Division

The Traffic Operations Division (TOD) is made up of seven sections and teams. Day-to-day activities include constructing, inspecting, modifying, testing, maintaining, and repairing Traffic Control Devices (TCD’s) statewide.

The Sign Operations Section and Statewide Sign Team manufacture and install overhead and ground mounted signs.
The Statewide Sign Team responds 24/7 to emergency sign and sign structure damage.
The Signal Operations Section maintains, modifies and monitors signals statewide and also responds 24/7 to emergency calls and incidents.
The Traffic Control Device Inspection Section inspects and approves signal and sign contractors’ work statewide.
The Inventory and Procurement Team controls inventory for OOTS’s shops and all of the activities above.
The Traffic Operations Support Section (TOSS) provides expert testimony in court cases relating to traffic signal function and maintenance, and repairs traffic control devices (TCDs) damaged in construction accidents.

Traffic Engineering Design Division

The Traffic Engineering Design Division (TEDD) is responsible for the engineering, design, and oversight of TCDs Statewide. The division develops guidelines and standards used in the application and installation of TCD’s, and advertises construction contracts for their installation. TEDD also provides design oversight for highway lighting, Intelligent Transportation System devices (ITSD) and TCDs. TEDD also manages the Traffic Engineering Remedial Program for Structures (TERPS), inspecting all cantilever and overhead signs over the course of a three-year cycle.

Traffic Development and Support Division

The Traffic Development and Support Division (TDSD) develops and supports new and expanded programs and practices, and gives day-to-day support for the overall Statewide traffic engineering program.

Contracts and Finance Division

The Contracts and Finance Division (CFD) assists with many OOTS administrative functions, including Architectural and Engineering (A/E) contract management, procurement, program management, construction advertisement, and project closeout. CFD works closely with the Office of Procurement and Contract Management, Office of Finance, internal units within OOTS and district traffic program management offices.

Motor Carrier Division

The Motor Carrier Division (MCD) manages the state's motor carrier safety program that inspects trucks, drivers and cargo. It also conducts terminal audits of carriers.

Working with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the Maryland State Police, the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) team devises, implements, and monitors motor carrier safety programs through federal highway safety grants.

MCD monitors and develops legislation and regulations for motor carriers.

The Hauling Permit Unit issues permits to vehicles that are oversize and/or overweight, facilitating movement of large loads while minimizing damage to roads and bridges.

A Technical Support Team runs the hauling permit system program known as "Maryland One." This system incorporates hauling permit issuance for the City of Baltimore and the Maryland Transportation Authority.

MCD maintains 13 fixed-location scale house sites for the Maryland State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division.

The Virtual Weigh Station (VWS) network is a program initiated by MCD to remotely monitor the speed, size and weight of commercial vehicles moving at highway speeds. It promotes safety 24/7 with minimal disruption to freight mobility. Twenty monitoring sites are approved for construction, with eight operational and three under construction. This program includes active outreach to potential violators identified by VWS.

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