(September 13, 2013) – Welcome relief is coming to carpooling commuters who use the very popular Davidsonville Park and Ride Lot at US 50 (John Hanson Highway) and MD 424 (Davidsonville Road). The State Highway Administration (SHA) will build 200 new parking spaces at the lot, increasing the total to 400, through a $1.7 million construction project expected to be complete by summer 2014, weather permitting.

“The Davidsonville lot is always full and many people park along nearby roads, so we know the new spaces will be welcome.” said SHA Administrator Melinda B. Peters.  “Many people are choosing transit and carpooling due to the cost of fuel and to avoid driving in rush-hour traffic.  SHA is pleased to be able to add more spaces, which is an environmental benefit and reduces the number of vehicles on the road.”

The project also includes:

• Installing bio-swales that filter stormwater runoff from the Park and Ride lot;

• Providing new efficient LED overhead lighting systems; and

• Resurfacing and restriping the entire lot.

Crews will construct the new lot in phases, enabling SHA to maintain existing parking during the expansion.  On weekends and weeknight evenings, commuters may experience some limitations on parking.  SHA’s contractor for the Park and Ride expansion is Ardent Company of Mclean, Va.

The Davidsonville Park and Ride is served by the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA)#922 and #950 buses, which provide service along the US 50 corridor, beginning in Queen Anne’s county, to points west, including Washington, D.C.

Between SHA and MTA, Maryland offers more than 20,000 Park and Ride spaces throughout the State, so locating available rideshare parking is getting easier.  To view a list of MTA lots, log onto www.commuterchoicemaryland.com.  

Ridesharing supports Governor Martin O’Malley’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Act of 2009, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020.  Reducing vehicle emissions also reduces nitrogen from entering the Chesapeake Bay.  Nitrogen leads to the growth of oxygen-consuming algae blooms, which create Bay “Dead Zones.”  With Maryland’s 3,100 miles of shoreline at stake, ridesharing is a small step that can help solve a large problem.

Motorists who participate in a ridesharing program are eligible to travel in High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes in Maryland. SHA estimates that HOV usage saves commuters an average of four to six minutes each way in commuting time.  Maryland offers HOV facilities along two roadways, I-270 in Montgomery County and US 50 (John Hanson Highway) in Prince George’s County.

This project was made possible with funding from the Transportation Infrastructure Investment Act of 2013, which maintains crucial system preservation investments and allows Maryland to activate long-term strategies to invest in Maryland’s transportation systems. By putting people back to work in the transportation industry with $4.4 billion in new investments in the next six years, Maryland is creating hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity and providing Marylanders with the transportation infrastructure necessary to grow and prosper for decades to come.

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