FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Improvements Along North Avenue Corridor Recognized as a Project of the Year
BALTIMORE, MD (February 8, 2023) – The Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA) won three Awards of Excellence from Maryland Quality Initiatives (MdQI) at the organization’s 30th Annual Conference, highlighted by a Project of the Year Over $5 Million award for improvements along Baltimore’s North Avenue corridor. The MdQI awards were presented February 2 at the Baltimore Convention Center, and recognize quality, collaboration and innovation in the areas of transportation planning studies, programs and construction.
“We are honored to be recognized for this transformative project along Baltimore’s historic North Avenue,” said MDOT MTA Administrator Holly Arnold. “This collaborative effort demonstrates the agency’s commitment to improve our riders’ transit experience throughout our system.”
The North Avenue Corridor Improvement Project was the centerpiece of the $27.3 million North Avenue Rising initiative, which is the result of a partnership between the U.S. Department of Transportation, the state of Maryland and Baltimore City. North Avenue Rising was designed to support economic revitalization along North Avenue, a vital east-west roadway.
The corridor project, completed in June 2022, included dedicated bus lanes and transit signal priority to improve transit reliability and increase bus speeds, roadway repaving and reconstruction at specific locations to improve travel for all users and maintain a state of good repair, enhanced bus stops and landscaping, sidewalk improvements with ADA-compliant curb ramps and improved bicycle facilities.
This is the second year in a row MDOT MTA has received an MdQI award in connection with North Avenue Rising. Last year, the agency was recognized for improvements made to the Penn North Metro Station.
This year, MDOT MTA also received a Modal award for the North Avenue project and shared a Partnering award with MDOT State Highway Administration for improvements to enhance multi-modal connectivity at the Aberdeen MARC station in Harford County.
MdQI was founded in 1993 as a cooperative of agencies and associations representing Maryland’s transportation industry. Its mission is continuous quality improvement to ensure safe, efficient and environmentally friendly transportation to meets the needs of all stakeholders. For more information, visit MdQI.org.
MDOT MTA is one of the largest multi-modal transit systems in the United States. MDOT MTA operates LocalLink and commuter buses, Light RailLink, Metro SubwayLink, Maryland Area Regional Commuter (MARC) Train service and a comprehensive Mobility (paratransit) system. MDOT MTA’s goal is to provide safe, efficient and reliable transit across Maryland with world-class customer service. As a participating agency in APTA’s Health and Safety Commitment Program, MDOT MTA is dedicated to keeping our employees and passengers safe throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. To learn more, visit mta.maryland.gov, check us out on Facebook at facebook.com/mtamaryland and follow us on Twitter @mtamaryland.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Jerimiah Moerke
Office: 410-767-8367
Cell: 667-392-3625
jmoerke@mdot.maryland.gov
Paul Shepard
Office: 410-767-3935
Cell: 443-622-4181
pshepard@mdot.maryland.gov
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