Ped Safety Month begins

Click on video for an important announcement from Administrator Will Pines on Pedestrian Safety Month.

Make work zones safer, say Lt. Governor, SHA, MVA 

Lt. Governor Aruna Miller joined SHA and MVA’s Highway Safety Office on Sept. 21 to provide an update on the progress of the state’s Work Zone Safety Work Group and to encourage Marylanders to be part of the process to make work zones safer by completing a survey that the work group developed and MVA launched that day.

Representing SHA, Administrator William Pines said safety, including work zone safety, always has been a top priority for SHA.

“We have an obligation to make sure our workers return home safely to their families,” he said. “There will be an emphasis on enhanced education campaigns and an increased law enforcement presence in work zones to enforce safe driving, such as enforcing the Move Over Law.”

The administrator added that SHA will continue to look for ways to use technology and innovations to improve safety in work zones. Between January and September 2023, more than 800 crashes occurred in work zones. At the current rate that crashes and fatalities are occurring, Maryland is projected to reach more than 600 motor vehicle crash fatalities this year – the first time since 2007. 

You can help the work group develop recommendations that will help keep roadway workers safe by filling out the short survey at ZeroDeathsMD.gov/Survey. The survey will be open through October 12.

Emergency Response Technician Howard Bostick (second from left) joined MVA Administrator Chrissy Nizer, Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller and Administrator Will Pines to explain the dangers faced by SHA workers and contractors in work zones.

Working to create 'a nimbler system'

HHD & OIT collaborate on stormwater compliance 

The State Highway Administration (SHA) inspectors, along with their counterparts at the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE), maintain, inspect and report on the condition of stormwater management facilities (SWMFACs) on our roads. That’s a heavy caseload, requiring them to examine approximately 8,600 facilities, ranging from small roadside swales to large complex ponds over a three-year cycle.

To help them get through all this work, the Highway Hydraulic Division and the Office of Information Technology joined forces to create a new app that is user friendly and makes the team’s job far easier.

“When I took over this program eight years ago, inspectors had an electronic list and form that had to be completed with outdated technology,” explained Stormwater Systems Asset Manager Kiona Leah. “The app was so outdated that they struggled to do all the inspections.”

“I had a vision to create a nimbler system,” she added.

Kiona turned to OIT and was pleased with the process of identifying her department’s needs, conducting beta testing and finetuning the system.

Consultant Elliott Plack explains that the new system includes an online survey form that dynamically adjusts to the complexity of the facility being inspected.

“I’ve become such a huge proponent of leaning on OIT and working with them as the experts in all things tech and database-related,” Kiona said.

“I tell everyone, ‘Reach out to OIT, work with them, tell them what you need, describe the business process. When they understand that, they develop tools that are useful, strategic and powerful.”

Since the app launched in 2018, Kiona’s team have been able to process more than 4,700 inspections.