San Antonio, TX/November 6, 2008 - The Maryland Department of Transportation's State Highway Administration's Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Compliance Program to help Marylanders more safely navigate the State's roadway system has been named a national model of excellence by the National Partnership for Highway Quality (NPHQ), the highway advocacy group has announced.          
          
NPHQ honored the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) by presenting the agency with the "2008 Making A Difference - Breaking the Mold" award for excellence for SHA's ADA Compliance Program, which includes public outreach, awareness and technical training, project development, construction, installation and operations of Accessible Pedestrian Signal devices, sidewalks and ramps on State highways throughout Maryland.          
          
As part of SHA's efforts to ensure a highway system that meets the needs of all users, the agency established an ADA Compliance Program to proactively and systematically address non-compliant elements along State highways. This program reflects SHA's commitment to make accommodation of persons with disabilities a routine and integral element of planning, design, construction, operations and maintenance activities. SHA's goal is to increase the amount of ADA-compliant sidewalks on State highways by two percent annually, and to replace all existing pedestrian traffic signals on State highways to Accessible Pedestrian Signals (APS) by 2016.          
          
"We strive to provide equal access and mobility for all our customers, regardless of their abilities," said State Highway Administrator Neil J. Pedersen. "Maryland is committed to go beyond ADA compliance to full accessibility for all our customers."          
          
NPHQ is a national coalition of public highway agencies, industry organizations and private firms founded in 1992 as the National Quality Initiative. For more than 15 years, NPHQ continues to be the only National program that brings public highway agencies and private industry together to combine their expertise and to cooperatively lead the advancement in highway quality, safety and service to the highway users. For more information on the NPHQ and its awards: www.nphq.org. For more information on the SHA's ADA Compliance Program: www.marylandroads.com.