MDOT SHA Logo
NEWS RELEASE
Maryland Deparment of Business and Economic Development
Office of Communications
217 East Redwood Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21202
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Karen Glenn Hood
(410) 767-6318
kglenn@choosemaryland.org
Valerie Burnette Edgar, SHA
(410) 545-0303
VBurnetteEdgar@sha.state.md.us
Maryland’s I-70 Welcome Centers to Undergo Reconstruction, Temporarily Relocate to Prime Outlets
BALTIMORE (March 25, 2008) – The Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED), in conjunction with the State Highway Administration (SHA), today announced that Maryland’s I-70 East and Westbound Welcome Centers will be closed to travelers effective April 30 for reconstruction. A plan is underway to redirect travelers during the closure to a site within Prime Outlets Hagerstown, one of the top tourism destinations in Western Maryland with more than 4.5 million shopping visits annually. However, the plan is conditional upon the approval next month by the Board of Public Works. The two centers, which were built in the 1970s and are maintained by SHA and DBED’s Maryland Office of Tourism, were used by nearly 1.5 million travelers last year to access Maryland tourism information.
“The existing facilities at the I-70 Welcome Centers are dated and inadequate to handle future travel projections,” said Hannah Byron, DBED Assistant Secretary for the Division of Tourism, Film and the Arts. “We are working with the State Highway Administration to upgrade the location for tomorrow’s traveler.”
“We appreciate the traveling public’s cooperation during this much needed construction,” said SHA Administrator Neil J. Pedersen. “SHA looks forward to improving its customer service by providing an updated, energy-efficient hub for Western Maryland visitors. Travelers are encouraged to keep their plans to venture west and visit one of the nearby centers.”
The $18.4 million reconstructed site, scheduled to open in Fall 2009, will offer travelers new roads, nearly double the existing parking, increased accessibility and expanded picnic facilities. The new buildings also will be environmentally friendly with energy-efficient lighting, water-saving devices and upgraded sewer systems. Additionally, the restroom facilities will be expanded to nearly triple the current capacity with room to add additional facilities to accommodate a projected increase in travelers. For updated information on the Welcome Center’s closure/relocation, visit Maryland’s tourism website at www.visitmaryland.com.
Maryland’s latest visitor data confirms that in 2006, the State welcomed more than 28 million visitors who generated more than $11.4 billion in visitor spending. That figure is up from $10.7 billion the previous calendar year. During 2006, the Maryland tourism industry generated more than $895 million in state and local taxes and provided more than 116,000 jobs to Maryland residents.
For more information regarding SHA’s construction project, contact SHA District Community Liaison Geoffrey McCammon at 1-800-635-5119.
Editor’s Note: Listed below are nearby trucking facilities in the Hagerstown area:
AC & T
11535 Hopewell Road
Hagerstown, MD 21740
301-582-2700 or 1-800-458-3835
Pilot Travel Center
16921 Halfway Boulevard
Hagerstown, MD 21740
(Interstate 81 – Exit 5B)
301-582-6111
Pilot Travel Center
11633 Greencastle Pike
Hagerstown, MD 21740
(Interstate 70 & MD 63)
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