Maximize2045 will identify the region's transportation related goals and strategies and list the major projects the region expects to implement over the next 20-25 years.
This spring, the BRTB will release a draft Maximize2045, along with the 2020-2023 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), for public review. We invite you to get involved in the process to update Maximize2045 by learning more about the steps and staying tuned for upcoming events and the public comment period.
GOALS
The first step in looking at the region’s transportation needs and challenges over the next 25 years is to develop an overarching set of guiding goals and strategies. The BRTB developed the following set of guiding principles for the projects and programs considered in Maximize2045:
- Improve System Safety – Make conditions safer for pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders and operators, and motorists.
- Improve and Maintain the Existing Infrastructure – Improve the conditions of existing transportation facilities; systematically maintain and replace transportation assets as needed.
- Improve Accessibility – Help people of all ages and abilities to reach specific destinations.
- Conserve and Enhance the Environment – Pass on to future generations the healthiest natural and human environments possible.
- Improve System Security – Provide a secure traveling environment for everyone; improve the region’s ability to respond to natural and man-made disasters.
- Promote Prosperity and Economic Opportunity – Support the revitalization of communities, the development of activity centers, and the movement of goods and services.
- Foster Participation and Cooperation among All Stakeholders – Enable all interested and affected parties to participate and cooperate to find workable solutions.
- Promote Informed Decision Making – Ensure that adopted transportation policies and performance measures guide the regional decision making process.
:: View the detailed list of goals and strategies
FINANCIAL FORECAST
The projects to be included in Maximize2045 must take into account the level of financial resources that can reasonably be expected to be available through 2045.
The BRTB, in consultation with the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT), forecasts nearly $12.2 billion in federal, state, and private funds available for major capital projects between 2024 and 2045.
Of the $53 billion in total revenues, approximately $36.7 billion will go towards operations, and $16.3 billion will be set aside for system preservation.
As has been the trend for years, more and more funds are being designated for preservation and operations. As a result, the amount of money forecasted to be available for major capital projects has decreased in each of the past several long-range transportation plans. This makes for some tough choices as the BRTB considers the mix of projects to include in the draft plan.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The next steps of the process to develop Maximize2045 are:
- Project Evaluation – BRTB members have submitted a list of projects they’d like to have included in Maximize2045. BMC staff have evaluated the projects based on the scoring methodology adopted by the BRTB. Using the scoring result, the BRTB will select a list of projects that the region could implement over the next 20-25 years given the amount of money available.
- Draft Plan Released for Public Comments – A draft of the plan will be made public for a comment period during May and June 2019 and we’ll hold a public meeting in each jurisdiction in the Baltimore region.
- Respond to comments and vote on a final plan – The BRTB will then review and respond to public comments and vote on a final plan in July 2019.