Federal Grant Supports MD Highway Administration Project to Enhance Route 50 on Eastern Shore
Maryland Transportation officials have received an $11.9-million federal grant for a project to enhance safety and reduce congestion on Route 50 on the Eastern Shore. The funding is for new technology that will enable the Maryland State Highway Administration to deploy cutting-edge software, sensors, traffic cameras and message signs along 113 miles of Route 50. This hardware and software will monitor traffic queues in real-time, predict flow and adapt signal timing to help provide gaps, allowing local traffic on side streets to enter and exit Route 50 more safely and efficiently.
Installation is expected to begin in late 2026.
Additional information from MDOT:
Smart technology supported by the grant will help improve safety, increase efficiency of freight delivery and enhance mobility in historically disadvantaged and underserved Eastern Shore communities along the Route 50 corridor.Â
The grant was announced by the Federal Highway Administration on May 25, and is part of a nationwide $52.78 million investment through the Advanced Transportation Technology and Innovation program under the Biden Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The grant also supports State Highway Administration deployment of warning and travel information signs and additional live traffic cameras along the corridor.Â
Route 50 experiences significant seasonal and holiday traffic, and the impact of these new technologies will be felt during these peak times. Weather, work zone activity, crashes, disabled vehicles and debris in the roadway also contribute to congestion and lost time along Route 50. The State Highway Administration anticipates that once deployed, the new technology will save drivers along the corridor nearly 2.5 million hours.
The federal grant supports the State Highway Administration’s Rural Opportunities to Use Traffic Technology Enhancements (ROUTE) project on Route 50, which is designed to help address disparities in rural transportation infrastructure by using technology to dynamically manage traffic and free communities from congestion. The ROUTE project on Route 50 focuses on improving safety, travel time reliability, mobility, and quality of life in the rural communities along the 113-mile Route 50 corridor.
