Design Begins on MD 450 Bladensburg Community Safety and Enhancement Project; Funding Provided for Added Prince George’s County Traffic Safety Enforcement; New Capital Beltway Enforcement Signs Unveiled in Partnership with Maryland State Police

October 21, 2010 – Enhancing safety and mobility throughout the State, Governor Martin O’Malley announced new safety and community improvement initiatives in Prince George’s County: the approval of $4 million in design funds to begin work on the MD 450 Bladensburg Community Safety and Enhancement Project, a grant for $200,000 for traffic safety enforcement in Prince George’s County and new Capital Beltway DUI enforcement signs.

“Our communities are the building block of Maryland, and we are providing our law enforcement officers with the tools needed to secure the safety of those traveling our great State, both on thriving arteries such as the Capital Beltway and along our neighborhood streets,” said Governor Martin O’Malley.  “The MD 450 enhancements will make the Main Street of Bladensburg safer for pedestrians, foster transportation alternatives benefiting the environment and make this historic area around the Anacostia Watershed even more attractive for tourists as well as residents, particularly important as we approach the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812.”

In colonial times MD 450 was a road used to transport goods and supplies from the ships that docked at the Bladensburg port on the Anacostia River.  Soldiers fighting to secure the independence of a new nation marched along this road in the War of 1812.  Today, MD 450 is one of Maryland’s “Main Streets” that continues to be a central part of the life of residents and businesses in Bladensburg and most recently part of the “Green Street” project – an environmental revitalization initiative developed by a cooperative of government agencies and citizen groups. The $4 million design project will begin immediately on new roadway safety improvements along MD 450 between Kenilworth Avenue and 54th Street.  Enhancements will include sidewalk improvements, along with roadway resurfacing, and lighting.  

Today safety along roadways in Prince George’s County was further bolstered with a $200,000 enforcement grant to Prince George’s County Police Department for traffic enforcement, and the unveiling of 20 new DUI enforcement signs along the Capital Beltway, part of the overall Beltway DUI Enforcement Initiative and the Prince George’s County Fatality Reduction Plan implemented by Maryland State Police (MSP) and the Prince George’s County Police Department (PGPD).  Preliminary results from the Maryland State Police’s Capital Beltway initiative demonstrate a 73 percent reduction in fatalities on the Prince George’s County portion of the Beltway, a heavily travelled corridor surrounding suburban Washington DC. 

“These strategic enforcement and education efforts are working together for a safer Capital Beltway, which means a safer Prince George’s County and a safer Maryland,” said Maryland Department of Transportation Secretary Beverley Swaim-Staley.  “Safety is our number one priority, and we’re delighted to support our dedicated law enforcement partners with the installation of ‘DUI Enforcement’ signs around the Beltway, as well as additional funding to prevent the needless tragedies resulting from speeding and drunk driving.”

At the Consolidated Transportation Program meeting in Greenbelt, Maryland Department of Transportation Secretary Beverley Swaim-Staley presented PGPD with a check in the amount of $200,000 to support the Prince George’s County Fatal Accident Reduction Plan.  The plan in targets time of day, day of week, and locations along the corridor that have a high propensity for impaired driving, speed related collisions, occupant protection (unrestrained drivers and passengers), distracted and drowsy drivers, run-off-roadway, and overturned collisions.  The federal funds awarded today will provide for additional speed and alcohol detection equipment, as well as provide enforcement funding for aggressive driving, impaired driving, and pedestrian safety near the Beltway and throughout the county.

“For too long traffic crashes have plagued Prince George’s County, killing more than 1200 of our citizens over the last 10 years,” said PGPD Chief Roberto Hylton.  “Through a new dedicated traffic resource group and other public safety outreach initiatives, we are taking action to prevent these crashes not only around the Capital Beltway, but throughout our great County.”

Prince George’s County Police Department efforts will complement those of the Maryland State Police in heightening drunk driving enforcement, specifically along the Beltway.  Maryland State Police conducted time of day, day of week, and location-based analysis to identify specific target goals.  Aptly named the Beltway DUI Enforcement Initiative, MSP’s College Park, Forestville and Rockville Barracks together with PGPD have worked together to maximize resources on targeted days and locations, most notably the arterials connected to the Beltway. 

“A critical strategy in the plan includes “Operation Centipede,” an ongoing enforcement effort that employs high visibility patrols to target violators, slow traffic and perhaps most importantly increase public awareness of police presence, which help keep drivers safe drivers,” said Colonel Terrence. Sheridan, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police.  “So far, troopers working Operation Centipede alone have issued more than 2,250 citations and warnings.” 

Interstate 495 in Maryland accounts for 42 of the 64 miles of beltway around the District of Columbia, but in the past three years has accounted for 70 percent of all traffic fatalities on the beltway.  According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, 42 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes on the portion of I-495 between the Virginia border and the interchange where Interstate 95 splits off toward Baltimore from 2006 to 2008, representing 70% of the Beltway fatalities.  Speed and alcohol were a factor in most of the deaths, with the deadliest time on the road being from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m., accounting for 23 deaths. More information can be found at www.choosesafetyforlife.com

 

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