Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration

ADA Compliance Planning

Compliance planning ensures that all Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (SHA) Public Rights of Way (PROW) comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This is the compliance planning process:

ADA Compliance Planning

  • Self-Evaluation Plan: The self-evaluation plan surveys existing access in PROW facilities. SHA's self-evaluation consists of two parts:

    1. a field inventory of existing conditions based on a statewide checklist and

    2. local public meetings to discuss survey results.

    The results are used to identify and prioritize improvements that will be implemented through the transition plan.

  • Public Involvement: Public involvement is critical to providing the disabled with the best accommodations, locations and infrastructure design. It also helps SHA determine how to prioritize projects, determine if anything has been overlooked and evaluate if field-level efforts meet public needs. Public involvement takes many forms. It is a part of the self-evaluation and transition plan. Ongoing dialogue with people with disabilities, both individually and in groups, helps SHA ensure that its efforts meet the needs of people with disabilities.

  • Transition Plan: The transition plan identifies deficiencies and the compliant elements needed to achieve accessibility to PROW. It is essentially a schedule that prioritizes certain types of changes and allows the State to program improvements cost-effectively. Public meetings allow people to provide input about their concerns.

    DRAFT ADA Transition Plan 2025

    The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) is inviting you to review and comment on the Draft 2025 ADA Transition Plan and to participate in upcoming virtual public involvement meetings to review and provide feedback on the Draft 2025 ADA Transition Plan. The SHA public involvement calendar will be updated on November 11 with meeting details, here.

    The two virtual meetings will be held via Microsoft Teams, allowing the public to learn more about the plan and share comments:

    • Monday, November 17, 2025, 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

    • Wednesday, November 19, 2025, 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

    • Closed captioning and sign language interpretation will be available. Those requesting accommodations to participate in the meeting may contact [email protected] at least three business days prior to the scheduled meeting.

    SHA is committed to ensuring all individuals —regardless of ability —have safe and reliable access to SHA roadways. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in accessing public services and requires state and local governments to conduct self-evaluations and develop transition plans to address areas of non-compliance. SHA continues to evaluate and improve pedestrian accessibility across the state, and the Draft ADA Transition Plan outlines our ongoing efforts to enhance accessibility on public rights-of-way owned and maintained by SHA. This document includes current policies, baseline findings, prioritization criteria, and integration with transportation planning. It also highlights SHA'suse of technology-driven tools and GIS-based systems, MDOT SHA Pedestrian Facilities Viewer, to track progress and prioritize future improvements in real time.

Annual Compliance Reports

​